THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police team conducting a preliminary investigation against IAS officer K Gopalakrishnan for allegedly creating a WhatsApp group exclusively for Hindu bureaucrats recorded the statement of the complainant, a Congress district leader from Kollam, on Monday. The statement of Kollam DCC general secretary Faizal Kulapadam was recorded by Narcotic Cell ACP Aji Chandran Nair. The complainant reiterated what he had stated in his complaint, sources said.
Sources said the complainant stated that Gopalakrishnan filed a fake police complaint that his phone was hacked to mislead the cops. The complainant also alleged that the WhatsApp group was intended to foment divisions and discord among the civil servants on communal lines, which was mentioned in the suspension order of the officer.
The preliminary inquiry is expected to be wrapped up within 15 days. Based on the findings of the preliminary inquiry, a decision will be taken on registering a case against the officer.
Gopalakrishnan waded into the controversy after he created a group exclusively for Hindu officers. As the matter snowballed into a big scandal, the officer claimed his phone was hacked and the group was created without his consent. Following this, he also filed a police complaint. However, the police probe failed to corroborate the hacking claim. The officer had provided both his mobile phones for forensic examination after performing factory reset, which also added fuel to the controversy.
He was finally suspended after chief secretary Sarada Muraleedharan forwarded a police report on the matter to the chief minister. The chief secretary had also recommended action against the officer, stating that his actions violated the All India Services (Conduct) Rules.