NUDF demands probe into religionbased WhatsApp groups by IAS officer

PTI Thiruvananthapuram: The Congress-led UDF opposition on Tuesday called on the Kerala government to order an investigation to ascertain who instructed suspended IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan to create a religion-based WhatsApp group of government officials. A day after the Left government suspended Gopalakrishnan, who was serving as the Director of Industries and Commerce, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan, alleged that two such groups had been created and demanded clarity on the actions taken. Satheesan claimed that when another IAS officer questioned Gopalakrishnan about the creation of a WhatsApp group for Muslim officers, he responded that it was done under instructions “from the top”.

The Leader of the Opposition accused the CPI(M)- led government of aiding the Sangh Parivar in fostering communal division. “The two groups were created among IAS officers based on instructions from some quarters to sow religious division,” Satheesan told reporters. He demanded an investigation into who directed the IAS officer to create the groups. Referring to recent controversial Facebook posts by IAS officer N Prasanth targeting a senior colleague, Satheesan also sought to know whether the infighting among officers was sanctioned by the government. He further alleged that Gopalakrishnan’s suspension was being used to obscure the issue of the religion-based WhatsApp groups. While Gopalakrishnan was suspended for creating the groups, Prasanth faced action for publicly criticising a senior IAS officer on social media. In the suspension orders issued late Monday, the government stated that the actions of both officers constituted severe indiscipline and violations of the All India Service Conduct ules, 1968.