Kerala IAS official booked for lewd remarks against woman journalist

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 7 : The Kerala Police registered an FIR against state IAS official N.Prasanth for lewd remarks sent to a woman journalist.

The bureaucrat has been with outraging the modesty of a woman following a complaint filed by the Kerala Union of Working Journalist with the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The incident took place before the April 6 assembly polls when the opposition was going hammer and tongs against the ruling Pinarayi Vijayan government over a contract between the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation and a private player for handing over rights of fishing and building boats.

Prasanth was the managing director of Corporation and the journalist had called on his mobile but after getting no response she sent a message asking for his comments on the issue.

Soon came two stickers, which she felt were offensive and conveyed lewd interpretations.

Following this the journalist body took up the issue with Vijayan, who forwarded the complaint to the police to conduct a detailed probe and take appropriate action.

It was found that the IAS official had been in the wrong and the case was registered.

Now with non-bailable charges being put up, the probe team will summon Prasanth.

Prasanth already is feeling the heat as he is alleged to have aggravated the issue between the Corporation and the private company that had agreed to go forward with the deal. The opposition took it up in a big way, causing hiccups to Vijayan who had to fight tooth and nail to clear the charges. Then Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty was forced to bite the dust, when she lost in the assembly polls, after the Congress unleashed a huge campaign against her linking the deal between the Corporation and the private player.