Pavithran was suspended after he made disparaging remarks about Ranjitha Gopakumaran Nair, who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash.
Published Jun 14, 2025 | 2:25 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 14, 2025 | 2:25 PM
Pavithran has been charged under multiple provisions: sexual harassment (Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), insulting the dignity of women (Section 79), promoting enmity and disturbing communal harmony (Section 196), and for publishing sexually explicit content online (Section 67A of the IT Act).
Synopsis: The truth is plain: Kerala is a society struggling with its own contradictions. Beneath the surface of social indicators and glossy narratives lies a culture where regressive attitudes thrive, draped in the language of progress, but hostile to real equity and dissent.
It was not just a misogynistic remark; it was also an attack on a profession, and, indirectly, on a caste. The target? A young medical nurse who tragically lost her life in the air crash at Ahmedabad on 12 June.
The person behind this deeply offensive comment is a senior government official from the Kasaragod district, Kerala. A Pavithran, a Deputy Tahsildar in the rank of junior superintendent at the Vellarikundu Taluk Office, posted the remark on Facebook under the name Pavi Anandashram.
His derogatory comment was aimed at Ranjitha Gopakumaran Nair, a 42-year-old nurse from Pathanamthitta district, who had been working in the UK. Ranjitha had long dreamed of returning home after completing her overseas contract to rejoin government service in Kerala.
She was aboard the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Gatwick, London, which crashed seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.
His highly demeaning Facebook post can be roughly translated as: “There was one Nair woman. The government of Kerala gave her a job, but she took leave and went abroad for… (followed by an ambiguous expletive). Got what she deserved.”
He didn’t stop there. Pavithran went further, hurling obscene remarks at women from the Nair community, mocking Ranjitha and portraying her in a deeply offensive, casteist, and misogynistic manner. His words were not just cruel; they were venomous. It was a vile attack on a woman’s dignity, her caste identity, and her profession, all wrapped in a sexualised slur that revealed the depth of his prejudice.
Although Pavithran later deleted the post following widespread protest, the damage had already been done. His crude and hateful mindset drew strong condemnation from all sections of society, cutting across political parties and communities. People took to the streets in
protest.
On social media, too, there was an outpouring of anger and disgust, showing that while Kerala society still struggles with patriarchy and caste prejudice, there is growing intolerance towards such openly hateful behaviour.
For many, Pavithran’s words felt like an act of moral looting, abusing a victim even before the ashes of a tragedy had settled.
Kasaragod District Collector K Inbasekar, who suspended Pavithran pending inquiry and recommended his dismissal, stated that the official had repeatedly engaged in actions that brought shame to the Revenue Department and the state government. Disciplinary actions had been taken against him earlier, and he had been warned multiple times, the Collector said.
Incidentally, this isn’t the first time Pavithran has made caste-based remarks. In September 2024, he posted a comment in poor taste against senior CPI leader, Kanhangad MLA and former Revenue Minister E Chandrasekaran. In that post, he referred to Chandrasekaran as a
‘Nair’, a caste label the minister himself never used, and questioned his merit as a minister.
Pavithran was suspended for that offence and was only recently reinstated. He had also been warned earlier for making similar remarks against others. Now, with this fresh casteist and misogynistic attack on an air crash victim, his conduct has again come under severe scrutiny.
The irony, as many point out, is that Chandrasekaran never identified with the ‘Nair’ surname, highlighting the deliberate malice in Pavithran’s caste-based targeting.
“I’ve known him long before I became an MLA,” said Chandrasekaran. “I don’t understand why he continues to make such irresponsible statements and invite disciplinary action. Just think of his family; they, too, must now endure the shame brought on by his words. I feel pity
for them.”
Chandrasekaran clarified that while Pavithran was associated with the CPI-affiliated Joint Council of State Service Organisations, he was never a member of the party itself. “But let me be clear, the party will not tolerate or support such behaviour. I am sure he will have to face the consequences.”
The Revenue Minister, K. Rajan, echoed similar sentiments. He confirmed Pavithran’s suspension and stated that the action was taken promptly after the post came to his attention.
“The behaviour of the Deputy Tahsildar is highly deplorable,” he said.
Various political parties and trade unions, including those affiliated with the BJP, Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, and others, staged protest demonstrations in Kanhangad town, Kasaragod.
Unaware of the growing public outrage, Pavithran reported to work in the morning. But within hours, he was handed his suspension order. While returning home, police intercepted his vehicle and took him into custody. He was handed over to Kanhangad DySP Babu Peringeth, who officially recorded his arrest.
According to the DySP, Pavithran has been charged under multiple provisions: sexual harassment (Section 75 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita), insulting the dignity of women (Section 79), promoting enmity and disturbing communal harmony (Section 196), and for
publishing sexually explicit content online (Section 67A of the IT Act). The offences under the BNS carry a maximum imprisonment of three years, while the IT Act offence is punishable with up to seven years.
Pavithran’s remarks were not only misogynistic and obscene but also steeped in caste bias. Although his caste background has not been officially confirmed, acquaintances claim he belongs to a socially oppressed community. His repeated targeting of individuals from so-
called upper castes, including women, is seen by many as stemming from deep-seated prejudice and personal resentment.
In the case of Ranjitha, his slur went a step further, laced with explicit sexual undertones and aimed squarely at the Nair community. Though the post was later deleted, the damage was already done.
“No matter which community he belongs to, no responsible organisation will stand by such obscene and hateful behaviour,” said Thekkan Sunil Kumar, a senior Dalit activist and leader of the Kerala Pattika Jana Samajam. “If he is from a Dalit background, he is a stain on the
community. Anyone who justifies or supports such actions will only send the wrong message,” he added.
When rapper Vedan spoke out against the upper echelons of the caste hierarchy, his critique was rooted in clear political conviction, and there were no personal slurs or obscenities, said Thekkan. In stark contrast, what Pavithran posted was sheer filth, a reflection of an obscene
mindset. To target a nurse, someone who worked tirelessly abroad to support her family and who tragically lost her life in an air crash, based solely on her caste and profession, is beyond reprehensible. It is an affront no society should tolerate.
There is a reflection of a pseudo-moralistic outburst of a pervert in what Pavithran said. Equally disturbing, according to professionals in the field, is the way Pavithran demeaned the nursing profession itself.
When someone, especially a senior government official, makes such derogatory comments, it cannot be brushed aside. It is an insult not just to an individual, but to an entire profession, said the Indian Nurses Association (INA), a leading body representing medical nurses in
Kerala.
“Just because the majority in our profession are women, it doesn’t give anyone the right to slander or portray them in such degrading terms,” said Mohammed Shihab EA, General Secretary of INA. “This man not only mocked her caste but also vilified her, that too in an obscene manner, for working abroad. Coming from a Deputy Tahsildar, it is all the more serious. We believe he should be dismissed from service.”
Shihab added that such remarks reveal the deeply rooted misogyny of some who view women as inferior. “In times of crisis—during pandemics, disasters—nurses are hailed as angels. And yet, the same people who sing their praises are quick to reduce them to stereotypes when it suits them. This is nothing but male chauvinism. The INA will take up this issue with the government,” he said.
It is a sobering reality that caste and gender antagonism have become part of the everyday fabric of Kerala, a state that markets itself as God’s Own Country and prides itself on its progressive credentials. But the cracks in this façade are increasingly hard to ignore.
From the public shaming of rapper Vedan for calling out caste privilege, to the recent, unflinching remarks by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan on the deep-seated colourism and discrimination that persist in our institutions and society, the truth is plain: we are a society struggling with its own contradictions. Beneath the surface of social indicators and glossy narratives lies a culture where regressive attitudes thrive, draped in the language of progress, but hostile to real equity and dissent.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
