IAS officer M Sivasankar removed from IT secretary post

IAS officer M Sivasankar has been removed from the post of IT Secretary in the backdrop of the gold smuggling controversy, where it is alleged that he had links with Swapna Suresh, a suspect in the case.

Earlier in the day, he was also removed from secretary to the chief minister after the opposition party hugely criticized the LDF government and demanded CBI probe in this matter. Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala had sent a letter to PM calling for the CBI probe.

Mohammed Y Safirulla will be appointed as the new IT Secretary. Meanwhile, Mir Mohammed who replaced Sivasankar as secretary to the chief minister will hold additional charge.

Swapna Suresh who was earlier employed in the IT department was being investigated in the seizure of 30 kg of gold smuggled through “diplomatic baggage” at the Thiruvanathapuram international airport.