Debate erupts over VIDEO of Kerala's IAS officer's son giving speech in the program

These questions are being raised after Pathanamthitta district collector Divya S Iyer brought her son to the closing ceremony of a film festival and delivered a speech with a three-and-a-half-year-old child in her arms while critics are questioning whether this is "appropriate" or not, others, including her husband, who have stood in support of Iyer, have criticized the many roles women play and their right to spend time with their child.

The Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly, Chittayam Gopakumar, one of the organizers of the 6th International Film Festival of Adoor, shared a video on his Facebook page of the collector with her son at the closing ceremony of the three-day event on October 30, sparking controversy. However, he later deleted the video from his Facebook handle. In the video, Iyer can be seen lovingly talking to her while sitting on the stage with her child, hugging her and later standing up to deliver the speech.

A large number of people are criticizing Divya S Iyer. They say that this act was inappropriate for a high-ranking official, but many others raised their voice in support of the collector and gave the example of New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern. Jacinda made history by bringing her three-month-old daughter to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018. When Jacinda gave her speech at a UN peace summit, her partner Clark Gayford held the baby in her arms. This incident had created a lot of discussion around the world.