N Prashanth, Special Secretary in the Agricultural Department, widely known as ‘Collector Bro,’ has been suspended by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government, along with another senior IAS officer, K Gopalakrishnan, who served as the Director of Industries and Commerce.
Prasanth, the 2007 batch IAS officer, who became famous during his tenure as Kozhikode District Collector for his active social media presence and social initiatives, faced suspension for publicly criticising senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak on social media. Prasanth accused Jayathilak of unethical behaviour and made serious allegations against him.
The decision to suspend Prasanth was taken following a public feud between the two senior bureaucrats. The Chief Minister’s decision followed a report by Chief Secretary Sharada Muralidharan, which recommended disciplinary action against Prasanth for insulting Jayathilak online. Despite being warned by the Chief Secretary, Prasanth continued his online sparring.
The discord between Prasanth and Jayathilak intensified recently after Jayathilak submitted a report against Prasanth. In response, Prasanth took to Facebook, referring to Jayathilak as “a great person who has declared himself the next Chief Secretary” and threatened to disclose files against him.
In one post, Prasanth described Jayathilak as “the real mental patient of Madampally,” referencing a character from the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu, which was remade in Bollywood as Bhool Bhulaiyaa. He later deleted this comment.
At the peak of the row, in another post on Sunday, Prasanth wrote, “I am a farmer, come down to pull out the weeds,” indirectly implying that Jayathilak was a “weed” to be removed. The post was accompanied by an image of a weeding machine.
Prasanth’s latest controversy followed a news report alleging that key documents related to Unnathi (Kerala Empowerment Society), an organisation established for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, had mysteriously disappeared when he was its CEO.
Prasanth, who resigned from the CEO position over differences with Jayathilak, then Secretary of the SC/ST department, claimed he had handed these documents directly to the minister concerned. He accused Jayathilak of submitting a false report to the Chief Minister, alleging that the files were missing, though they were later confirmed to be in the minister’s office.
In the suspension order issued late Monday, the Kerala government stated that Prasanth’s actions constituted serious indiscipline and violations of the All India Services Conduct Rules, 1968. The order described his comments as “derogatory” and warned that they could incite division and discontent within the Indian Administrative Service in Kerala, thereby undermining public confidence in the administration.
Prasanth’s social media engagement, which earned him the moniker “Collector Bro,” has now led to his suspension.
The young IAS officer’s unconventional administrative methods gained widespread attention. He used Facebook to engage with citizens directly, seeking their input and feedback on various issues. His initiatives, such as ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ for mental health‘Operation Sulaimani’ to provide free meals in collaboration with local eateries, a pothole-filling campaign with private sponsorship, and ‘Savari Giri Giri’ to address students’ travel concerns, were highly praised. One notable initiative even involved encouraging people to report public urination offenders to the collector.
Prasanth, a law graduate, has authored three books: Collector Bro: The Quixotic ‘Thallals’ of a Civil Servant, Life Boy – The Little Book of Happiness (Santhoshathinte Kochupusthakam), and Broswami Stories.
IAS OFFICER’S COMMUNAL WHATSAPP GROUP
K Gopalakrishnan, the other IAS officer suspended by the Kerala government alongside Prasanth, was at the centre of a controversy after creating a WhatsApp group named ‘Mallu Hindu Officers’, consisting solely of Hindu IAS officers from Kerala. The move was perceived as divisive and a breach of the secular and inclusive principles mandated by the All India Services.
Gopalkrishnan faces serious accusations.
Initially, he claimed his phone had been hacked and that the WhatsApp group was created without his knowledge. However, a detailed investigation by the Kerala Police found no evidence of hacking, concluding that Gopalakrishnan had intentionally created the group.
A departmental enquiry and an investigation by the Kerala Police’s cybercrime wing both failed to support Gopalakrishnan’s hacking claim. The suspension order cited a grave violation of service rules and a serious breach of discipline.
The order, issued by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, emphasised that the police enquiry had found no proof of Gopalakrishnan’s phone being hacked. “The Government, prima facie, is of the view that the said WhatsApp group created by Gopalakrishnan K was intended to foment division, sow disunity, and disrupt the solidarity among the All India Services cadres in the state,” it stated.
Both Gopalakrishnan and Prasanth are likely to contest the government’s decision to suspend them and may challenge their suspensions legally.
(With inputs from Shibimol KG in Kerala)
Published On:
Nov 12, 2024
