Kerala IAS Officers Call Off Protest After Tough Words From Pinarayi Vijayan

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officers, who were on a mass one-day casual leave in protest against alleged excesses by the state Vigilance Department, have called off their protest and returned to work. The U-turn came after Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the protest "unjustifiable" and "unacceptable".

Representatives of the IAS officers had met the Chief Minister this morning to discuss their grievances. They alleged that they were being falsely targetted and brought to minute administrative scrutiny. They demanded that the government intervene to stop the "vindictive action" of the Vigilance chief.

Later, the Chief Minister told the media, "The government cannot be strong-armed into acting in a particular manner. The government has ordered for impartial investigations and cannot intervene in Vigilance cases. This form of protest is unjustifiable."

The IAS association has alleged that Vigilance chief Jacob Thomas has been framing top bureaucrats -- who are under constant scrutiny for every administrative decision -- in false cases.

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"Because of the false allegations and charges, many IAS officials are facing blemishes in their career for no reason. We had to convey our grievance in this regard," B Ashok, secretary of Sports and Ayush department, told NDTV.

Recently, a case has been filed against a senior officer in connection with a nepotism case against a minister. Former Industries minister EP Jayarajan was forced to resign after allegations by Opposition that he bypassed rules to employ his nephew PK Sudheer as Managing Director of Kerala State Industrial Enterprises Ltd. The Vigilance Department has filed a First Information Report against the minister.

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After the meeting with the Chief Minister, the IAS association said work will continue "unhindered", indicating that the protest has been called off.