‘Collector Bro’ and another Kerala IAS officer suspended for indiscipline

On Monday, the Kerala government suspended two IAS officers, K Gopalakrishnan and N Prasanth, for indiscipline. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered the suspensions after receiving reports from the Chief Secretary.

Gopalakrishnan, the Director of Industries and Commerce, was suspended for creating a religion-based WhatsApp group involving government officials. The police investigated the matter after Gopalakrishnan claimed his WhatsApp account was hacked, though investigators suggested his phone may have been reset. In the controversial group, officers from different communities were included and it was labeled a Hindu community group.

Meanwhile, Prasanth, the Special Secretary in the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare, faced suspension for publicly criticizing senior IAS officer A Jayathilak. Prasanth posted on Facebook, accusing Jayathilak of spreading baseless media reports against him, including claims that he was responsible for missing files related to a welfare project for Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Prasanth, known as ‘Collector Bro’ for his previous role as Kozhikode District Collector, denied the allegations and stated he had been unfairly targeted.

Minister K Rajan emphasized the need for government officials to follow discipline and warned of strict actions against rule violations. Both incidents have sparked significant controversy, and the state government is taking them seriously.