Congress Leaders and workers stage protest in front of District panchayat office in Kannur on Tuesday following the death of Kannur Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu.
| Photo Credit: S.K. MOHAN

Praveen Babu, brother of Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu who was found dead under mysterious circumstances, has lodged a complaint with the Kannur Town Police on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) night. He has called for a case to be registered against Communist Party Of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader and district panchayat president P.P. Divya, alleging that she had raised false allegations against his brother, driving him to suicide.

According to Praveen Babu’s complaint, Ms. Divya allegedly threatened ADM Naveen Babu, which he believes played a role in his brother’s suicide. He has requested an investigation into the involvement of both Divya and Prashant, the owner of a petrol pump, in the events leading to the ADM’s death.

Political tensions have escalated in Kannur following these events. The BJP has called for a hartal in the Kannur Municipal Corporation area today, demanding a thorough probe against Ms. Divya. The Congress and BJP have also initiated protest marches to Divya’s residence, demanding her immediate resignation and accountability for her alleged role in Naveen Babu’s death. Increased police presence has been deployed near Divya’s house to prevent any untoward incidents.

Allegations Raised at Send-Off Ceremony

Naveen Babu was found dead shortly after a send-off ceremony at the Kannur Collectorate conference hall, where Ms. Divya made public allegations against him. During the event, Ms. Divya accused the ADM of delaying the approval of a petrol pump license in Chemagai and hinted at corruption. Her comments were made in the presence of District Collector Arun K. Vijayan.

Ms. Divya, who was not originally scheduled to attend the meeting, arrived unexpectedly and left immediately after her speech, which further criticized ADM Naveen Babu’s administrative actions.

Family’s Demand for Justice

Praveen Babu stated that his brother was not known to have a questionable service record, and he rejected attempts to tarnish his reputation. He urged authorities to investigate why Ms. Divya publicly made such serious allegations against his brother and what role the petrol pump owner might have played in these accusations.

Naveen Babu’s family has expressed their determination to uncover the truth behind his death and clear his name of corruption charges. They believe the circumstances leading to his death need a thorough investigation.

Police Register Unnatural Death Case

The Kannur Town Police have registered a case of unnatural death, suspecting suicide, but have not yet decided on expanding the investigation to include abetment charges against those mentioned in the complaint. Naveen Babu, who was recently transferred from Kannur to his native Pathanamthitta, was found dead at Pallikunnu in Kannur the morning after his send-off.

Further developments are awaited as the police continue their investigation into the case, examining the allegations and possible links to ADM Naveen Babu’s untimely death.

Meanwhile, the cremation of Naveen Babu’s body has been postponed to allow for the post-mortem procedures. His body was handed over to the family after the autopsy at Kannur Government Medical College Hospital, and the cremation is now scheduled to take place at his home in Pathanamthitta.

Senior political figures, including CPI(M) district secretary M.V. Jayarajan and RSS leader Valsan Thillankeri, have paid their respects to Naveen Babu at the hospital, with Jayarajan and others accompanying the body to Pathanamthitta. Ms. Divya has yet to make a public statement addressing the allegations against her

CPI(M) State secretary M.V. Govindan. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has said that Kerala would reject the National Council for Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) proposal to supplant India with Bharat in the social sciences curriculum for schools.

CPI(M) State Secretary M. V. Govindan told reporters in New Delhi that schools following the State syllabus would resist the NCERT’s move to inject “science, fact and history-denying Sangh Parivar rendition of India’s past into younger generations.

“Kerala school textbooks will cite the country’s name as India as articulated in Article I of the Constitution. They will dwell on subjects abandoned by the Sangh Parivar-led Central government, including Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Mughal empire, and the life, times and assassination of Mahatma Gandhi”, Mr. Govindan said.

Mr. Govindan said the formation of the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was the immediate provocation for the BJP’s move to supplant India with Bharat in school textbooks, official communication and public fora.

He said the Centre had suspiciously flip-flopped on its recent commitment to the Supreme Court that no circumstance warranted changing India’s official name to Bharat.

The CPI(M) and Congress in Kerala also found themselves on the same side of the India-Bharat debate.

On Wednesday, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member K.C. Venugopal objected to rejecting India for Bharat in school textbooks.

“For Congress, both names carry equal weight. However, one should not be at the cost of the other. The BJP is attempting to distort India’s history to suit its political ends”, he said.

The CPI(M) has also found a common cause with the Congress and the DMK governments in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Both administrations have objected to the NCERT proposal. (Education is a subject in the concurrent list, allowing States to accept or reject NCERT proposals.)

C. I. Isaac, a retired history teacher and Padma Shri awardee who heads the NCERT panel for curriculum change, told a news channel in Dubai that it had not rejected the name India.

“Instead, the panel has proposed to make it statutory to teach Bharath in school curriculum. It is to instil self-respect in students and not to compel them to stop using the term India when referring to the country. The panel has also proposed displaying a framed copy of the constitution preamble in classrooms prominently”, Mr. Isaac said.

Meanwhile, the BJP in Kerala has encouraged the use of Bharat because it was “an emphatic rejection of the country’s colonial past”. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently urged citizens to use Bharat instead of India.