Kerala ADM death: Naveen Babu’s daughter appointed as food safety officer

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Niranjana N Nair, the daughter of the late Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) K Naveen Babu, has been appointed as a Food Safety Officer in the Food Safety Department. The appointment was made under the Compassionate Employment Scheme (Ashrita Niyamanam) by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala.

K Naveen Babu, who served as the ADM in Kannur district, died by suicide in October 2024 following public corruption allegations at a farewell meeting, which sparked a major political controversy in the state.

The decision to appoint Naveen’s daughter to a government job was made at June’s cabinet meeting. On June 4, the government also issued an order granting Niranjana a dependent appointment. In the same meeting, the government decided to hand over the investigation into the death of Naveen Babu to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The decision was taken following repeated demands from the deceased officer's family seeking a central agency probe into the case.

Chief Minister VD Satheesan shared the picture with Naveen’s family on X. “The government keeps its word. The appointment order for the Food Safety Officer position in the Food Safety Department under the Samaswastha Employment Grant Scheme was handed over to Niranjana N Nair, daughter of Naveen Babu, who was the ADMM,” he wrote.

Naveen Babu was found dead at his official residence in Pallikunnu, Kannur, on October 15, a day after a farewell function at the Kannur Collectorate, where then District Panchayat President and Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] leader PP Divya publicly accused him of corruption.

The police registered an FIR against PP Divya under Section 108 of the BNS for abetment to suicide. She was later arrested and granted bail.