UDF demands probe into religion-based WhatsApp groups created by suspended IAS officer

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 Rules, 1968.

Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's government of tacitly supporting attempts by the Sangh Parivar to polarise society ahead of the Lok Sabha and Assembly bypolls. He criticised the government for failing to take action against Union Minister Suresh Gopi and BJP leader B Gopalakrishnan over their alleged controversial remarks on the Waqf issue.

The suspension order, issued by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, revealed that a police inquiry found no evidence to support Gopalakrishnan’s claim that his mobile phone had been hacked.

The order stated that the officer had repeatedly performed factory resets on his phone before submitting it for forensic examination.

"The government, prima facie, believes the WhatsApp group created by K Gopalakrishnan was intended to foster division, sow disunity, and disrupt solidarity within the All India Services cadre in the state," the order said.

It further noted that the group appeared to "encourage communal alignments" within the cadre, which was deemed a serious breach of conduct.