The Kerala government on Thursday said that the culprits responsible for the suicide of former Kannur ADM Naveen Babu, which has triggered a political row in the state, will not go scot-free and his family will get justice.
The Opposition Congress-led UDF, on the other hand, accused the government of having "double standards" as CPI(M) leader P P Divya, whose allegations of corruption against Babu purportedly led to his suicide, has not yet been questioned or arrested.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly V D Satheesan said that while the CPI(M) and the state government claim to stand with the deceased's officer's family, they were allegedly protecting the culprits responsible for Babu's death.
If the issue is investigated properly, it would lead all the way to the party headquarters and the chief minister's office, he contended while speaking to reporters in Kochi.
He also questioned why no action has been taken till now against Prashanthan -- the man who made the corruption complaint against Babu -- and why Divya was continuing as a member of the Kannur district panchayat.
Satheesan said that during the hearing of Divya's anticipatory bail plea in a Kannur court, it was argued on her behalf that Babu was corrupt and she had spoken against corruption at his farewell ceremony.
"So, she is insulting his family and the party and the CM are protecting her. They are showing double standards. The name of such hypocrisy is CPI(M) and Pinarayi Vijayan," he contended.
Earlier in the day, State Revenue Minister K Rajan said that he knew Babu as an upright officer and never received a complaint about him.
"I made it clear right from the start that he (Babu) was an honest officer and I stand by that view," he said.
"Let me make it clear, the culprits will not escape," he said.
Rajan said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's remark a day ago that no official should suffer such an ill-experience in the state indicates the government's stand.
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam also aired a similar view by saying that the LDF government in Kerala will not protect the culprits and that is what the CM indicated a day ago.
"The culprits have to be punished and they will be punished. That is the LDF view. So wait and see," he said.
Meanwhile, Kerala Women's Commission chairperson P Sathidevi visited Babu's family during the day.
After that, speaking to reporters, she said that the investigation into the matter was going on and the family will get justice.
She also said that she has not received any complaint regarding the issue.
Babu's suicide, occurring hours after CPI(M) leader P P Divya's remarks linking him to corruption during the send-off meeting organised at the district collectorate in Kannur, has sparked a political uproar in the southern state.
Divya had alleged that he was involved in corrupt practices related to sanctioning an NOC for a petrol pump in Kannur district.
Attending his send-off function uninvited on October 14, Divya criticised Babu for delaying the approval of the petrol pump in Chengalai for several months and remarked that he granted approval only two days after being transferred, hinting that she knew the reasons behind the sudden approval.
The next day, Babu was found dead at his quarters in Kannur.
Amidst the raging row over his death, the Marxist party removed Divya as president of the Kannur district panchayat.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
