New Delhi: A 2012-batch IAS officer, who rose to prominence for his relief efforts during the devastating Kerala floods last year, sent his resignation Friday.
Speaking to ThePrint, G. Kannan, an officer from AGMUT cadre of the IAS, said: “I had joined the service thinking I’d be able to give a voice to the public. But over time, I have found that I don’t have my own voice anymore.”
Kannan, who held charge as the secretary of key departments such as power, urban development and agriculture in Dadra and Nagar Haveli administration, said his resignation was “an appeal to his own conscience,” since he thinks he is not senior enough for his resignation to make any difference.
“I am not the Home Secretary or the finance secretary…my resignation won’t matter, but it’s for my one conscience and to get my own voice back.”
Already facing flak for his resignation, Kannan said he was being labelled an anti-national on Twitter. “But I’m okay being called anti-national for the sake of the nation,” he said.
Kannan, who had complained to the Election Commission against a political appointee giving him instructions during the Lok Sabha elections, also said he was being issued showcause notices incessantly for trivial reasons by the Narendra Modi government ever since it has come to power again.
On Kannan’s resignation, a senior official from the Department of Personnel and Training said on condition of anonymity, “The resignation is an officer’s prerogative…he has not given any reasons formally for his resignation, but the government will evaluate it.”
While his resignation is yet to be accepted, Kannan believes it’s only a formality since former IAS officer Shah Faesal’s resignation too has not been accepted yet.
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‘Aghast’ after govt move on Article 370
While Kannan did not elaborate on what the immediate circumstances for his move were, sources in the IAS Association said he was very disturbed by the events that have taken place in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 earlier this month.
“He is very aghast by the fact that the fundamental rights of a section of the Indian population have been revoked for 18 days now, and nobody is asking a single question,” said a batchmate of Kannan’s, who did not wish to be identified.
“He would keep saying it is by definition a state of emergency if fundamental rights are suspended in anticipation of a security threat,” the batchmate added.
According to sources in the IAS Association, Faesal’s detention from the Delhi airport also affected Kannan deeply. “He was shocked that Faesal who was an officer like us can be detained without any reason…He felt that he would be doing a disservice to the country if he didn’t speak up and take a stand now,” the above source added.
Lauded for flood relief work in Kerala
It was just last year when Kannan earned accolades from across the country for working at relief camps in flood-ravaged Kerala for eight days without identifying himself as an IAS officer.
According to reports, Kannan spent two nights carrying large packages of relief material on his head from trucks in the port city of Kochi. But when he was recognised as an IAS officer, he quietly left the city.
Retired IAS officer Anil Swarup took to Twitter to express his disappointment over a young officer’s resignation.
“We are all proud of such officers. Kannan won accolades for his work. Why does he choose to resign from a service, the IAS, that offers so much scope to serve the people & derive enormous amount of satisfaction? He himself demonstrated what can be done,” he tweeted.
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He is a clown. He can’t even be incognito for a week. He clearly wanted to sighted and recognised
Good for him , his conscience didn’t betrayed him
In future he will be “five-star” activist
However this slave mentality journo can’t hide her prejudice no evidence given of what headline is saying in this article
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.” Respect !!
Planning for a career in politics ! Enlightenment (probably) after the flood time stint!
Why this guy didn’t resigned after Pulwama condeming Pakistan action?
Why this guy didn’t resigned when several BJP and Congress workers were killed in Kerala?
Why this guy didn’t resigned when TP Chandrashekran was killed by CPIM in kerala?
Well he has not expressed any specific reason for resigning. He seems to be disillusioned earlier too . So are we jumping the gun here ? Perhaps he thinks he can serve nation outside govt. Wish him well.
All the best Mr Kannan, will surely do something better than in future. The country is divided into We and They, which shamelessly being propagated and encashed by right wing politicians.
His conscience is aroused by detention of a few pitical leaders in JK belonging to Muslim community. It was not aroused when three lac Hindus were murdered, their wives and daughters retained by Muslims and then rapped and murdered in the very State of JK. However high a person may get educated, radicalism embedded therein never comes out . See he would join the ISIS in Iraq and get killed one day.
He is a typical heartless Commie traitor.
He wasn’t in service when the pandits were driven out of Kashmir . Read 2012 batch IAS officer. Whether he would have resigned in that situation is a matter of pure conjecture. You keyboard warriors show how the typical psychological attributes of prejudice and stereotypes affecting your ability to focus on the reality in front of you. Though from your hate filled drivel I fail to detect any remnant of reason in you, but if you do have some rationality left, try reading things as they are. Calling people communists or such names is the mark of a lazy intellect.
How you know his future? If he is radical then you also.
‘Tab tum Kaha the’ syndrome
Mr Kannan should have resigned for the Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits that happened on the 1990. Now the clamp down is necessary for the extremists. Mr Kannan is biased about only the human rights for half the population.
readhis Twitter to know that he just wants to be in limelight. nowadays every bureaucrat wants that
What nonsense.. IAS post will give bigger limelight than being Ex buerocrat. Everyone need not think like you think..
While one can laud the officer for his morality and doing what his conscience tells him, i think his comments betray a fundamental arrogance and serious misunderstanding of his role as civil servant. You are not there to give voice to the people, you just have some duties to perform and your role is to serve the people. If he wishes to be the ‘voice’ of the people he should fight elections and join the parliament. Sorry to be harsh but that is the truth.
He is lauded for his duties, he resigned because his conscience did not permit him to continue with the current regime.. It is always personal choice..
It requires moral courage for an officer with such a long career ahead of him to resign on a point of principle. The service and the system would be enriched by their continuing to serve. Consider how many manage to stay on after 60, in a variety of ways.
he would earn much more by going private.