Kerala’s UDF government asks CBI to investigate the controversial death of Kannur ADM Naveen Babu

The Kerala Cabinet on Thursday issued a notification asking the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the politically controversial death of former Kannur District Magistrate (ADM) K. Naveen Babu.

Officials said the cabinet’s decision was based on a petition by the bereaved family. The government has also notified the Center of a request under Section 6 of the Delhi Police Special Establishment (DSPE) Act. Officials said the CBI will evaluate the case and recommend the central government to grant the agency jurisdiction to probe the ADM’s death.

Naveen Babu was found dead in his official quarters after attending a farewell meeting organized by his colleagues at the Kannur District Collectorate in October 2024.

Naveen Babu’s family attributed the death to the alleged public humiliation meted out to ADM by Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) leader and then Kannur district president PP Divya at the event.

Ms. Divya reportedly arrived uninvited at the event and reportedly hinted that corrupt intent had prevented ADM from giving timely sanction to a private entrepreneur seeking to set up a fuel dispensary in the district. Subsequently, the police charged Ms. Divya as the sole accused in the case of abetting ADM’s suicide.

Alleged police cover-up

However, Naveen Babu’s family alleged that the state police had covered for Ms Divya and demanded that the CBI investigate the “Benami angle” in the case. They also alleged that the partnership record of the company represented by the fuel warehouse applicant has disappeared from the district collector. The family also raised suspicions regarding the circumstances of Naveen Babu’s death and questioned the veracity of the forensic report.

The High Court and Supreme Court had earlier rejected the family’s plea for a CBI probe based on an affidavit filed by the then Left Democratic Front (LDF) government.

Naveen Babu’s death created a political storm, with the UDF, then in opposition, accusing the CPI(M) of duplicity by “falsely declaring” solidarity with Naveen Babu’s family while subverting the police to save Ms Divya from legal action.

The UDF also projected the CPI(M)’s nomination of the investigating officer in the Naveen Babu case, TK Ratnakumar, as the party’s candidate from Kottur township in Kannur’s Sreekandapuram municipality in the local body elections, as a clear example of the LDF government’s Janus approach in the case. It also demanded that the then Kannur District Collector, Arun K. Vijayan, be brought under police investigation.

Published – 04 Jun 2026 16:02 IST