CPM Kannur district secretary MV Jayarajan on Sunday took a neutral stance on PP Divya, who is accused of abetting the alleged suicide of Kannur Extra District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu. Speaking at the CPM area committee meeting here at Peringome, Jayarajan asserted that there was “no need to favor or ignore Divya”, underscoring the party’s demand for a thorough investigation into the allegations against her.

“This is not about taking sides with either ADM’s family or former CPM district committee president PP Divya,” he said. “ADM’s family has experienced a loss and they are grieving. The party respects their grief and has already made an organizational decision on this matter.” Jayarajan questioned how the CPM could overlook 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 criticized the media for circulating statements purported to have come from Divya which, according to him, she never made. He also noted conflicting accounts regarding the bribery allegations surrounding ADM, suggesting there are two versions of events.

Naveen Babu was found dead at his official residence in Kannur shortly 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 bribery claims 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 eleven days in the Pallikkunnu Women’s Jail.