Kozhikode: Congress leaders have opposed the Kerala Government’s appointment of Sriram Venkitaraman as the District Collector of Alappuzha during the latest bureaucratic reshuffle. The IAS officer was booked for rash driving that led to the death of a journalist in early 2020.
KPCC General Secretary AA Shukoor said appointing a ‘tainted person’ as the District Collector of Alappuzha cannot be accepted. Sriram Venkitaraman's deeds have rankled people and it remains in their hearts. He demanded that Sriram’s appointment must be revoked by the Government.
It is not right to entrust Sriram Venkitaraman with Alappuzha district’s administration, said AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. The Government’s decision, despite he being an accused, is incomprehensible.
The reshuffle has be made as if in the Communist party, Venugopal said.
Sriram Venkitaraman’s appointment is a challenge to the people, opined Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala. “On what basis can he be appointed as the Alappuzha Collector when he remains an accused in a case?,” Chennithala asked.
The bureaucrat was arrested soon after the midnight accident on a road in the heart of the Kerala capital. Though he was placed under suspension he was reinstated recently.
