Kerala govt to examine formation of controversial WhatsApp group for IAS officers
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The Kerala government will examine the incident involving the controversial formation of a WhatsApp group for Hindu IAS officers, State Industries Minister P Rajeeve said on Monday.
His statement followed a complaint lodged by an IAS officer with the police, alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group.
Responding to the controversy, Rajeeve said that the state government would investigate the formation of a group specifically for Hindu IAS officers.
Describing the incident as "serious," he said that community-based divisions are highly concerning.
"The government will look into this matter. There is a general code of conduct for IAS officers, which falls under the Public Administration department. We are currently examining the situation. Let’s review and determine what needs to be done," he told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.
The controversy arose after an IAS officer lodged a complaint with the police, claiming his personal WhatsApp number had been hacked and used to create a religious group. He submitted a complaint to the Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner, requesting an inquiry into the matter.
In the controversial WhatsApp group, officers from various communities were added, and the group was labelled as a Hindu community group, a source close to the officer said.
Upon noticing this, the officer immediately filed a complaint and dismantled the group. In his complaint, he stated that he had not added any officers to the group in question. The incident occurred three days ago, sources said.
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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak
London (PTI): At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10.
About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the UK, 23 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
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The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius.
Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man - was taken off the vessel.
Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals.
