Beela Venkatesan, a 1997-batch IAS officer who became a household name during COVID-19 times in Tamil Nadu, passed away on Wednesday in Chennai. Venkatesan (55) was battling brain tumour for a long period and was on leave for her treatment. She is survived by her mother and two daughters. At the time of her death, Venkatesan was serving as Tamil Nadu’s energy secretary.
Who was Beela Venkatesan?
Born in Kanniyakumari district in 1969, Venkatesan was the daughter of former DGP LN Venkatesan and Congress leader Rani Venkatesan. She joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1997 after completing her MBBS from Madras Medical College.
Her career spanned postings in Bihar, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu, across fisheries, textiles, commercial taxes, social welfare, disaster management and energy. She also served as special officer in the Chief Minister’s Cell, Commissioner of Fisheries and Commissioner of Town and Country Planning.
Public face during the pandemic
It was as Tamil Nadu’s health secretary during the fraught months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 that Venkatesan left her deepest imprint. She became a reassuring presence in homes across the state. Her medical training allowed her to explain testing protocols, quarantine measures and hospital preparedness with uncommon clarity.
Her defining moment came during the Tablighi Jamaat cluster, one of the state’s first and largest outbreaks. While cases threatened to spiral, Venkatesan led an aggressive contact-tracing campaign, coordinating health workers, police and community leaders. In an interview with the Indian Express during the time, Venkatesan said, “Using a disease to defame someone is cruel. I repeat…Do not paint a communal colour on an epidemic. Nobody wishes to get an infection or a disease.”
In another striking decision, Venkatesan ensured no returning migrant worker or Tamil Nadu resident was barred from entry during the pandemic’s peak. Instead, she set up a system of health screening at checkpoints, bus depots, and railway stations, balancing compassion with containment.
Tributes pour in
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi described her as “a devoted public servant whose compassionate leadership and sharp administrative skills profoundly impacted countless lives”. “Her dedicated services leave an enduring legacy in public health and government administration,” Ravi posted on X. Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a condolence message, said, “I am deeply shocked and saddened…Her untimely demise is indeed a great loss.”
Condolences also poured in from across the political spectrum, with AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, PMK’s Anbumani Ramadoss, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran and Congress president K Selvaperunthagai remembering her as an officer who combined competence with empathy.