THIRUVANANTHPURAM: IAS officers in Kerala called off their strike on Monday as chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan took a tough stand against the strike, expressing his strong displeasure at their move and continued to support Vigilance director Jacob Thomas.
Following a meeting with the chief minister, the officers called off their strike which was announced to protest the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau director's decision to implicate additional chief secretary Paul Antony as the third accused in an appointment scam.
Pinarayi Vijayan informed the officers that the investigation will proceed, and that his government will not interfere in it. The probe will be free and impartial and the strike is viewed seriously by the government, he later told the media. It is only natural to react emotionally when there is an investigation, he said.
Even in the past, such investigations have led to the suspension of top bureaucrats, Vijayan said. On the corruption charges against Jacob Thomas, the chief minister said that they were investigated earlier.
On their part, the officers conveyed to the CM their concerns regarding the investigation. However, the call for mass strike on Monday was not a move against the government or an attempt to weaken it, they informed him.
The Vigilance had implicated Paul Antony in a nepotism case involving E P Jayarajan, who was forced to step down as industries minister. On Saturday, they announced their plan to skip a day's work in protest against the ''victimisation'' of the IAS officers. Majority of the 60 IAS officers except the chief secretary, home secretary, officers on emergency duty including district collectors had planned to go on leave.