DC CORRESPONDENT
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 11
:
The Kerala government on Monday suspended Industries Director K. Gopalakrishnan, IAS, due to his involvement in forming a WhatsApp group named 'Mallu Hindu Officers', which sparked major controversy in the state.
Gopalakrishnan had asserted that his mobile phone was hacked. However, this claim was undermined when he formatted his mobile phone after filing a police complaint. The suspension followed after meta and forensic lab tests refuted the hacking allegation.
The IAS officer also formed a group named 'Muslim Officers' to support his claim that his phone was compromised.
The government also suspended IAS officer N. Prasanth, who is currently the Special Secretary of Agriculture, for disciplinary violations. The officer made personal remarks on social media against Additional Chief Secretary A. Jayathilak.
The decision to suspend the officers was taken by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan following a report submitted by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan.
Reacting to the developments, the President of the IAS Officers Association stated that the government had the authority to initiate disciplinary action. He added that the association would provide legal assistance to the officers.
