The Kerala Police registered a First Information Report against state IAS official N Prasanth for inapt messages sent to a woman journalist. The bureaucrat has been charged with insulting the modesty of a woman under Indian Penal Code section 509 following a complaint filed by the Kerala Union of Working Journalist with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

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

According to media reports, Prasanth was the MD of the 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.  In the screenshots of the WhatsApp messages that have surfaced, the journalist could be seen asking whether it was a good time to talk regarding a news story. To this N Prasanth replied with just a sticker of a man with a mocking expression. When the reporter replied to that stating, “It is not to harm you. Just to know what you have to say”, N Prasanth replied with a sticker of an actor's back. 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.

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