February 24, 2021— KP Pravitha, a correspondent for Mathrubhumi, a Malayalam daily newspaper, was subjected to inappropriate texts from IAS officer Prashant Nair. KP reached out to Prashant through WhatsApp for information regarding a story on Monday, February 22. Prashant Nair replied to the journalist with obscene images and insults. CFWIJ condemns the officer’s misconduct and stands in solidarity with KP Pravitha. We urge the Kerala government authorities to investigate the matter and hold Mr. Prashant Nair accountable for his unprofessional behavior. 
Journalist KP Pravitha reached out to Mr. Nair to inquire about a time to discuss a news story, to which Mr. Nair started replying with obscene emojis. The journalist objected, “Never expected such an obscene response from a person holding a responsible government post. I will be reporting this to authorities concerned.” According to screenshots available on the internet, Mr. Prashant accused the journalist, saying, “Nice way to extract news. But sorry. Wrong person and wrong tactics."

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) has asked for the exemplary punishment of Prashant Nair for crossing professional boundaries. KUWJ officials have also petitioned the government body in Kerala to seek action against Mr. Nair’s conduct. KUWJ stated, “It is condemnable that a reporter who sought his reply was humiliated using lewd emojis. Though it is usual that there would be no reply, humiliating a journalist with lewd replies is not something befitting a senior IAS officer.”

The Coalition For Women In Journalism offers its full support to KP Pravitha. We demand the government authorities in Kerala take disciplinary action against Mr. Prashant Nair. It is entirely unacceptable for a government officer to respond to a constituent in such a disrespectful manner. We hope the Kerala government will heed KUWJ's call for action against the misconduct.