The State government is considering disciplinary action against K. Gopalakrishnan, Director of Industries and Commerce, over allegations of creating a WhatsApp group based on religion. According to sources in the Chief Minister’s Office, Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan has forwarded State Police Chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb’s report to the Chief Minister.
“The process regarding this has been set in motion. No decision has been taken yet,” said the source. After allegations of Mr. Gopalakrishnan creating a WhatsApp group on religious grounds on October 31 and deleting it soon after were raised, he had claimed that his phone was hacked. However, the Thiruvananthapuram City police, which carried out an inquiry, found no evidence of hacking after a forensic examination. Mr. Gopalakrishnan had admitted to the police that he had formatted the phone. This made it impossible for the police to detect any signs of cyber attack in the device or gather any other related information.
The police had launched the investigation following a complaint by the IAS officer alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. Mr. Gopalakrishnan had lodged a complaint and dismantled the group, stating that he had not added any officers.
Published - November 10, 2024 08:25 pm IST
