Kerala Government Suspends Two IAS Officers Amid Controversy Over Religious WhatsApp Group
The Kerala government has suspended two senior IAS officers on disciplinary grounds following a report by the Chief Secretary. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took this decision amidst growing controversy surrounding a ‘religious WhatsApp group’ issue that has sparked public and administrative debate.
The controversy began when K Gopalakrishnan, Director of Industries and Commerce, lodged a complaint that his WhatsApp account had been used without his knowledge to create groups centered on religious themes. Despite initial concerns, the police investigation found no evidence that his phone had been hacked. However, Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Sparjan Kumar noted that it was challenging to confirm if the device was compromised, as it had already been ‘reset’.
In a related development, IAS officer N Prasanth was also suspended for publicly criticizing and accusing a senior colleague on social media, further compounding the situation. Reports suggest that at the beginning of November, several officials from different communities were added to a group labeled as a Hindu community forum. Gopalakrishnan, however, claimed that he had not added anyone and immediately dismantled the group upon discovering his number had been misused.
Commenting on the matter, Kerala’s Industries Minister P Rajeeve said, “The government is taking this issue seriously. IAS officers are bound by a general code of conduct under the Public Administration department. We are currently examining the details to decide on the necessary course of action.”
News Source : “Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.”
