‘Intended to foment division’: Kerala IAS officer suspended over ‘Hindu Officers’ WhatsApp group

The IAS officer had filed a complaint claiming his mobile phone was hacked by unidentified cyber criminals and WhatsApp groups were created without his consent.

Updated on: Nov 12, 2024, 13:47:26 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Kerala government on Monday suspended the Indian Administrative Service officer, K Gopalakrishnan, for creating a WhatsApp group called “Mallu Hindu Officers”. The action after the police debunked the IAS officer's claim that his phone had been hacked.

The order directing his suspension said the government was 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".

The order further said that the officer's act was prima facie found to be creating "communal formations and alignments within the cadres of the All India Services".

Also read: Kerala IAS officer says phone hacked, religious WhatsApp groups created without consent

What was the controversy?

The IAS officer had filed a police complaint claiming his mobile phone was hacked by unidentified cyber criminals and religious WhatsApp groups were created without his consent. He claimed the hackers made him the admin for two WhatsApp groups – Mallu Hindu Officers and Mallu Muslim Officers.

He claimed the Mallu Hindu Officers group was created on October 30, and several senior IAS officers were added to the channel. He deleted the group after the other officers pointed out the impropriety of the action.

The Kerala government had ordered a probe into the matter.

Also read: ‘Functioning as kangaroo courts’: Kerala HC's stinging remark on ‘media trials’

What did the police say?

According to the order, the police investigation refuted the officer's claims, saying they found no evidence that his phone was hacked. The police also found that Gopalakrishnan carried out a factory reset of the mobile phone several times before submitting the device for forensic examination.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan decided to suspend the officer based on a report from chief secretary Sarada Muraleedharan.

Gopalakrishnan was the Director of Industries and Commerce.

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