Kochi: Alappuzha District Collector Dr Renu Raj and Kerala Medical Services Corporation MD Dr Sriram Venkitaraman got married at an auditorium in Chottanikkara here on Thursday.

The ceremony was a low-key affair and was attended by close friends and family.

The two IAS officers reportedly informed their colleagues about their decision via WhatsApp.

They both graduated in medicine before taking up civil services.

Venkitaraman was a second rank holder in civil services examinations in 2012. He joined the service as the sub-collector of Devikulam.

Renu Raj was a second rank holder in 2014. She had also served as sub-collector in Devikulam and Thrissur.

The two came into prominence through their intervention in evicting encroachers at Devikulam.

Renu Raj was married to a colleague and is now divorced.

Venkitaraman had been suspended from service in 2019 in a road accident case that resulted in the death of a journalist, KM Basheer. Later he was reinstated as joint secretary in the Health Department.