Rift in IAS Association over Sivasankar issue
With the arrest of M Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary of Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, on money laundering charges by the Enforcement Directorate, his close friends in the service are getting the jitters. A small group of officers, led by a senior officer known to be close to the beleaguered Sivasankar, are trying to drum up a show of support for the arrested officer. This senior officer is attempting to get the IAS Association to protest the action taken against Sivasankar.
Reportedly, these officers had raised this demand on a WhatsApp group of IAS officers of the state and it has been echoed by a minuscule minority of officers. However, the rest of the officers in the forum, have chosen to remain conspicuously silent, possibly remembering other cases of officers being suspended which were not accompanied by such demands for support or legal assistance.
The left government and Chief Minister’s office lost its face after the arrest of Sivasankar, who was the Principal Secretary of CMO. The media is also reporting that few other key persons in the CMO will be quizzed by the investigation agencies soon for their alleged relationship with Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case. It is also argued that a section of officers wants to support the government and make people feel that the arrest of Sivasankar is not fair and that the IAS fraternity is in support of him and the left front.
Some officers point out that in a matter of national security and ongoing criminal investigation, it would be more appropriate for IAS officers, as administrators of the law, to not appear to be influencing the investigation in any manner. It must be remembered that the likelihood of Sivasankar mobilising support and influencing the course of the investigation, was one reason given by the investigating agencies to oppose his bail plea.
TO Sooraj and Sreeram Venkitaraman are other two officers who hit media headlines in recent times for their wrongdoings. Sooraj was arrested on corruption charges and Sreeram Venkitaraman was arrested for rash and negligent driving and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
