Kerala: Woman officer fed up with online criticism lashes back

Thiruvananthapuram: Little would Kerala Assistant Commissioner of Police Merin Joseph have known about the kind of mess she was going into after posting a picture with popular southern actor Nivin Pauly on her Facebook wall. Though it went viral and garnered over a thousand likes, the reaction to it has not been very positive with many criticising her for having taken the picture with the actor in her uniform.

Her post was titled - "With Nivin Pauly...The current sensation in Kerala". The officer and the actor were both guests at an event in a college in Ernakulam.

Peeved by the frenzy and the negative response it had generated, Merin Joseph took on her detractors by posting in social media saying "Why didn't I react so far to the so-called controversy caused over my photo with Mr. Nivin Pauly at the MLA function in Ernakulam to felicitate students? Because I don't react to non-issues. And for those who still need clarification, I am pointing out that the pic was taken by MLA Hibi Eden after securing his consent and that too, during a lighter moment of laughter over a shared joke."

She continued pouring her outrage by saying "I don't know why some dubious, unheard-of news channel, which doesn't have the slightest idea of journalistic ethics, is trying to define protocols for officers. For the information of anybody who cares about this cheap sensationalizing, I state that I was a guest at the function, had no "official duties", and it was only in the long gap that occurred while the organizers got the stage ready for prize distribution that all this happened. I had already finished reading out the oath (which was the only task entrusted to me). When such a gap is there, the Home Minister has already left the venue and the other guests on the stage have moved aside, what am I as a guest with no other duties supposed to do? Jump off the stage? Stand in attention saluting the audience?? ... For those who think that I was neglecting some important duty or doing something unbecoming, I merely ask which law states that one can't upload a photo when idly passing time??"

Incidentally, the officer has been in public focus ever since she joined the Kerala cadre as a trainee officer with comments in social media regarding her looks.