IAS WhatsApp Group 'Mallu Hindu Officers' Deleted Following Controversy

A controversy is  brewing in Kerala following a report of the existence of an alleged WhatsApp group involving Hindu IAS officials in the state. The group with industrial department director K Gopalakrishnan being the admin was closed hours after the issue received public attention.

However, the IAS officer whose contact number turned out to be the alleged admin of the group has complained to the cyber police, saying that his phone has been hacked, easing the controversy, Asiannet News reports.

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The group with the title ‘Mallu Hindu Officers’ and Gopalakrishnan as its admin surprised many of the IAS officers in the state as some of the top officials in service were part of the group or they were added to the group without their knowledge.

After getting noticed, the group was quickly deleted, with a message from Gopalakrishnan that his phone was hacked by some miscreants. At least 11 groups were created using his contact list, as per the message from the IAS officer. When asked about the incident, the industrial department director explained the same story to the media house, adding that he has filed a complaint with the city police commissioner against those who hacked his phone number.

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However, the incident has caused concerns given the communal angle, as all the members of the group were from the Hindu community. The divisive forces hacking the numbers of the IAS and other top officials with the malicious intention of creating communal tension should be taken seriously. The development, moreover, flags concerns regarding the lack of adequate cyber security for even the IAS official in the state.

The state police is expected to nab the culprit and ensure no such incidents repeat.