CPM Kannur district secretary MV Jayarajan on Sunday took a neutral stance towards PP Divya, who is facing charges of abetment in the alleged suicide of Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu. Speaking at the CPM regional committee meeting here in Peringome, Jayarajan asserted that there was “no need to favor or ignore Divya”, highlighting the party’s call for a thorough investigation into the allegations made against her.

“This is not about taking sides either with the ADM family or with former CPM district committee president PP Divya,” he said. “The SMA’s family has experienced a loss and is grieving. The party respects their grief and has already made an organizational decision on this matter.” Jayarajan wondered how the CPM could ignore Divya, especially if she had accepted the party’s decision.

The CPM had earlier removed Divya from all elected posts in the party as a disciplinary measure after the case was registered against her following the death of Naveen Babu. Jayarajan slammed the media for airing statements purportedly from Divya which, according to him, she never made. He also noted conflicting accounts regarding allegations of corruption surrounding the ADM, suggesting that there are two versions of events.

Naveen Babu was found dead at his official residence in Kannur soon after his farewell meeting, during which Divya allegedly accused him of accepting a bribe from businessman Prashanth in exchange for ‘a No Objection Certificate (NoC) for a petrol station. According to an investigation report by the director of medical education, Prashanth confirmed the allegations of corruption and CCTV footage supported his meetings with the ADM. Divya was granted bail by the Thalassery sessions court and walked out of jail on Friday after spending 11 days inside the Pallikkunnu women’s jail.