'Action sowed disunity within cadre': IAS officer suspended for creating religion-based WhatsApp group

K Gopalakrishnan was suspended for creating a controversial WhatsApp group 'Mallu Hindu Officers'. (Courtesy: Facebook)

The Kerala government on October 12 suspended two IAS officers for their actions amounting to grave indiscipline and violation of various sections of the All India Service Conduct Rules, 1968.

K Gopalakrishnan, Director of Industries and Commerce, was suspended for creating a controversial WhatsApp group 'Mallu Hindu Officers' with government officials as its members. The Kerala government took action against N Prasanth for criticising a senior IAS officer on Facebook. He was serving as Special Secretary in the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers' Welfare.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered suspension of both the civil servants based on a report from the Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan. "While Gopalakrishnan's action sowed disunity within the All India Service Cadre, Prasanth's conduct undermined the public image of the state's administrative machinery," the government alleged.

The WhatsApp group, which has now been deleted, was created on October 30 and had several Hindu IAS officers. Gopalakrishnan claimed in his complaint with the Kerala police that the 'Mallu Hindu Officers' group was created after his phone was hacked. The cops sprung into action and began a probe. However, the police concluded that it remains unclear whether the device (Gopalakrishnan's phone) was compromised as it had been 'reset'.

According to the order, the government is of the view that the WhatsApp group "was intended to foment division, sow disunity and break the solidarity within the cadres of the All India Services in the state. It was also prima facie found to be creating communal formations and alignments within the cadres of the All India Services in the state".

Prasanth faced suspension after he accused A Jayathilak, additional Chief Secretary, of "orchestrating baseless" news reports against him. In his Facebook post, the IAS officer alleged that Jayathilak had become a "special reporter and was working to undermine him by spreading unfounded allegations through the media".

"I feel compelled to share some important facts about Jayathilak, a senior IAS officer, that the public deserves to know. Although I generally avoid discussing government matters in public, there seems to be no alternative at this point. My intention is to reveal only those issues that the public has the right to know, in accordance with the Right to Information," the post read.

The issue cropped up following a media report that alleged lapses on Prasanth's part claiming that several crucial files from 'Unnathi' -- an initiative dedicated to the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) -- had mysteriously gone missing during his tenure as its CEO. The report also claimed that Jayathilak had submitted a report on the matter to Vijayan.

Earlier in the day, Kerala revenue minister K Rajan said that government officials should follow certain disciplines while being in service, and anyone who breaches them would be dealt with stringent actions. "The government cannot not allow officials to work in violation of service rules and disciplines," he said.

-With agency inputs