Thiruvananthapuram, May 8 (IANS) With the Congress-led UDF preparing to assume office after its sweeping electoral victory, the mysterious death of former Kannur Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Naveen Babu is once again set to return to the political centre stage, with strong indications emerging that the new government may order either a CBI probe or a fresh investigation by a specially constituted team of impartial Kerala Police officers.

The issue gathered fresh momentum after KPCC General Secretary and Ranni MLA-elect Pazhakulam Madhu said the matter would be taken up immediately after the new Cabinet assumes office.

“Right from the day this incident occurred, I have been with the family. Now, with a new government all set to assume office, we will take up the matter strongly. The Congress-led UDF all along has been demanding a CBI probe. I, along with others, will take up this issue as soon as the new government takes office,” Madhu told IANS.

Madhu, who was at the forefront of the protests demanding justice for Naveen Babu, said several unanswered questions continue to cloud the case and insisted that the earlier investigation failed to inspire confidence.

The death of Naveen Babu had triggered massive controversy after senior CPI(M) leader and former district panchayat president P.P. Divya publicly targeted him during a farewell function over a bribery allegation raised by a man named Prashanthan.

Divya had reportedly attended the function uninvited.

The UDF and the family of Naveen Babu have repeatedly alleged that the probe never seriously examined the relationship between Divya and Prashanthan, or the source of the money allegedly arranged as a bribe.

Questions are also being raised over the controversial petrol pump linked to the case.

Opposition leaders suspect benami dealings and allege that influential political connections could be behind the venture.

Congress leaders believe only a detailed probe can uncover the ‘real masterminds’ behind the entire episode.

With the Left Front suffering a crushing defeat in the Assembly elections, political observers say the case could become one of the first major tests before the incoming UDF government.

For the CPI(M), the Naveen Babu case continues to remain an uncomfortable shadow, one that the change in government may now pull back into sharp public focus.

–IANS

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