CPI-M leader remanded to two weeks judicial custody in Kannur ADM suicide case (Lead)

Kannur, Oct 29 ( IANS) Exactly two weeks after Kannur Additional District Magistrate Naveen Babu committed suicide following remarks by CPI-M leader P.P. Divya, who was the Kannur district panchayath president, the latter was remanded to 14 days judicial custody.

The day began with a lower court in Thalassery rejecting her anticipatory bail plea and after four hours the Kannur City Police Commissioner Ajith Kumar informed that the accused was taken into custody.

After an hour of questioning, on Tuesday night she was produced at the house of the local magistrate, who remanded her to 14 days judicial custody.

When the police vehicle arrived at the Kannur district jail, it was a familiar venue for Divya as she had come to attend numerous functions associated with the jail but on Tuesday night, she became an inmate.

Sources pointed out that on Wednesday itself she will be moving her bail plea.

During the hearing of her anticipatory bail plea, Divya’s counsel argued that she had no malicious intentions when she spoke about Babu and was just making a general statement against corruption.

However, the prosecution opposed her bail plea.

Divya was the only accused in the case and also soon quit her post as president of the Kannur district panchayath and went into hiding.

Ajith Kumar Kannur Commissioner of Police told the media that Divya has been taken into custody.

Kannur is the citadel of the ruling CPI-M and the district from which Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state party secretary M.V. Govindan hail.

Congress and the BJP have been criticizing the Chief Minister for not arresting her and instead the CPI-M was supporting the accused.

There has been a massive outrage in the state as Divya was on the run for the past 12 days after she was made an accused in the suicide case of Babu.

Divya was always touted to be a young leader who had a lot of potential to go up the ladder in both the party and politics.

Babu was found hanging on October 15 in his home, and a case against Divya for her remarks was registered on October 17 and since then she has been on the run.

She allegedly made some remarks on corruption while attacking Babu during a speech on October 14 that purportedly drove him to commit suicide the next day.

Reacting to the court order on Tuesday, Babu’s brother, a lawyer by profession, said they are happy that Divya has been denied the pre-arrest bail.

“Now if she approaches the High Court, we will file an affidavit against it. We are fighting a legal battle and not a political battle. The police could have arrested her but failed to arrest her. We only seek a fair trial in the case,” said Babu’s brother.

Babu’s wife, reacting to the denial of pre-arrest bail to Divya, said the police must arrest her.

“The inquest and post mortem of my husband was done before our family members reached Kannur. I am also an official in the same department, so I know how he worked,” said Babu’s wife.

Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan said the office of the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was shielding the accused.

“Everyone knows that the accused has been protected by the office of Vijayan. It’s unfortunate that the law and order in the state has collapsed. The government and the CPI-M are protecting the accused,” said Satheesan.

Source: IANS