Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has suspended two senior officials amid separate controversies, one involving social media remarks and the other over creating a religiously themed WhatsApp group.

N. Prasanth, the state’s special secretary in the agriculture department, was suspended after making controversial remarks on social media targeting A. Jayathilak, the additional chief secretary (finance). 

The remarks followed allegations by Jayathilak, who accused Prasanth of falsifying attendance and repeatedly failing to report for duty while serving as special secretary in the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Department. Despite earlier warnings, Prasanth continued his online tirade over the weekend, prompting a report from the chief secretary and his subsequent suspension.

Govt takes action against K. Gopalakrishnan

Meanwhile, the order was also issued to suspend K Gopalakrishnan, Director of Industries and Commerce, in connection with forming a WhatsApp group named ‘Mallu Hindu Officers’. The group, which included members ranging from senior IAS officers to junior officials, quickly became controversial and was disbanded within hours. The officials reportedly claimed that the group was created solely for the purpose of sharing Diwali wishes, which they did. However, many members pointed out the impropriety of forming a group based on religion.