Oppn disrupts Kannur dist panchayat meet

Kannur: The governing committee meeting of Kannur district panchayat, which was held for the first time on Monday after P P Divya resigned as its president, was disrupted by intense protest by opposition parties over the death of Kannur ADM Naveen Babu. Soon after the meeting began, the Congress-led opposition called for an adjournment motion over the suicide of the ADM. Though district panchayat vice-president Binoy Kurian who presided over the meeting agreed to discuss the motion after completing the pre-listed agendas, the opposition wanted to present the motion first.The meeting witnessed unruly scenes when Kurian denied permission for it. Opposition members went up to the dais, shouted slogans demanding the arrest of Divya who was charged with abetment of suicide in the death of Naveen Babu, and disrupted the proceedings. Amid protest Kurian concluded the meeting after passing the agendas without discussion within 15 minutes. Meanwhile, Kurian denied the corruption charges raised against the local body in connection with the prefabricated modular toilets being constructed at various govt high schools and higher secondary schools. The construction works of these toilets were awarded to govt-accredited agencies by following all norms and conditions of the state govt, he said in a press release. The opposition parties on Monday continued protests against the delay in arresting Divya. Muslim Women's League, the women's wing of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) workers organized protest dharna in front of the district collectorate demanding immediate arrest of Divya. Muslim Women's League state president Suhra Mampad inaugurated the agitation. "Even after police registering a case for abetment of suicide, Divya is still continuing as a people's representative. This is a challenge to the public. CPM should be ready to remove her from the post of district panchayat member too," she said. BJP and its allies also took out a march to Kannur city police commissioner's office in protest against the delay in arresting Divya. BJP state secretary Prakash Babu inaugurated the protest march. The Thalassery principal sessions court will pronounce the verdict on the anticipatory bail application filed by Divya on Tuesday.
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