ADM’s death: recording of Kannur Collector’s statement put off

The statement of Prashanth, who accused the ADM of accepting bribe, re-recorded

The police team investigating the death of former Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu did not record the statement of Kannur District Collector Arun K. Vijayan on Monday as scheduled.

The ADM died allegedly by suicide a day after former district panchayat president P.P. Divya raised corruption allegations against him during a farewell meeting. The Collector’s testimony is seen as pivotal to the investigation as it is alleged that he played a role in inviting Ms. Divya to the farewell meeting of the ADM.

On Monday, Mr. Vijayan told the media that he would provide only a truthful statement to the police in connection with Naveen’s death. Though he refused to comment on several queries from the media regarding the case, Mr. Vijayan acknowledged that he had met the Chief Minister at his residence on Sunday and the investigation into Naveen’s death was part of the discussion. He did not respond when asked whether Ms. Divya had filed a formal complaint against the ADM.

Earlier, Mr. Vijayan testified before Joint Commissioner of Land Revenue A. Geeta and denied any involvement in inviting Ms. Divya to the farewell event. He said the event was organised by the staff council and that Ms. Divya was not among the invitees by his office. This statement contradicts Ms. Divya’s claim that she attended the function upon the Collector’s invitation. Staff council members have also supported Mr. Vijayan’s account, asserting that Ms. Divya was not officially invited.

Meanwhile, the police re-recorded on Monday the statement of T.V. Prashanth, who had accused Naveen of accepting a bribe for issuing a no objection certificate (NOC) for a petrol pump. The statement was taken at Kannur Town police station. The initial statement was recorded on Friday.

Bribe for NOC

Mr. Prashanth’s complaint alleged that he was coerced into paying Naveen a bribe of ₹98,500 for the NOC on October 6. Discrepancies in his signature and name on various documents prompted the police to summon him again for clarification.

According to the complaint, Mr. Prashanth claimed that after paying the bribe, he received permission on October 8, though records indicate that Naveen had signed the order to issue the NOC for the Chengalai petrol pump on October 9 at 3.47 p.m. The investigation continues as authorities work to resolve these inconsistencies.

Published - October 21, 2024 08:24 pm IST