‘Collector Bro’ suspended: Which led to action against popular Kerala IAS officer – Kerala News

N Prashanth, Special Secretary, Agriculture Department, commonly known as ‘Collector Bro’ has been suspended by the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government of Kerala along with another senior IAS officer, K Gopalakrishnan, who served as Director of Industries and Commerce.

Prasanth, who shot to fame during his tenure as Kozhikode District Collector for his active presence on social media and social initiatives, was suspended for publicly criticizing senior IAS officer and Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak on social media. Prasanth accused Jayathilak of unethical behavior and leveled serious allegations against him.

The decision to suspend Prasanth was taken after 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 a warning from the chief secretary, Prasanth continued his online sparring.

The disagreement between Prasanth and Jayathilak increased recently after Jayathilak filed a report against Prasanth. In response, Prasanth took to Facebook, calling Jayathilak “a great person who has declared himself the next chief secretary” and threatening to make files against him public.

In one post, Prasanth described Jayathilak as “the real mental patient of Madampally”, referring to a character from the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu, which was remade in Bollywood as Bhool Bhulaiyaa. He later deleted this comment.

At the height of the row, Prasanth wrote in another post on Sunday, “I am a farmer, come down to pull the weeds,” indirectly implying that Jayathilak was a “weed” that needed to be removed. The post included a picture of a weeding machine.

Prasanth’s latest controversy followed a news report claiming that important documents related to Unnathi (Kerala Empowerment Society), an organization formed for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, had mysteriously disappeared when he was the CEO.

Prasanth, who resigned from the CEO post due to differences with Jayathilak, then SC/ST department secretary, claimed that he had handed over these documents directly to the minister concerned. He accused Jayathilak of submitting a false report to the prime minister, claiming that the files were missing, although it was later confirmed that they were in the minister’s office.

In the suspension order issued late Monday, the Kerala government said Prasanth’s actions involved serious indiscipline and violations of the All India Services Conduct Rules, 1968. The order described his comments as “derogatory” and warned that they could fuel divisions and discontent within the government. Indian Administrative Service in Kerala, undermining public confidence in the government.

Prasanth’s involvement in social media, which earned him the nickname ‘Collector Bro’, has now led to his suspension.

The young IAS officer’s unconventional administrative methods received wide attention. He used Facebook to connect directly with citizens and solicit their input and feedback on various issues. His initiatives, such as ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ for mental health‘Operation Sulaimani’ to provide free meals in partnership with local eateries, a gap-filling campaign with private sponsorship, and ‘Savari Giri Giri’ to address students’ travel challenges were highly commended. One notable initiative even involved encouraging people to report public urination offenders to the collector.

Prasanth has written three books: Collector Bro: The Quixotic ‘Thallals’ of a Civil Servant, Life Boy – The Little Book of Happiness (Santhosathinte Kochupusthakam) and Broswami Stories.

IAS OFFICER JOINT WHATSAPP GROUP

K Gopalakrishnan, the other IAS officer who was suspended by the Kerala government besides Prasanth, found himself at the center of a controversy after he started a WhatsApp group called ‘Mallu Hindu Officers’, which consisted exclusively of Hindu IAS officers from Kerala. The move was seen as divisive and a violation of the secular and inclusive principles mandated by the All India Services.

Gopalkrishnan is facing serious charges.

He initially claimed that his phone had been hacked and that the WhatsApp group had been created without his knowledge. However, a detailed investigation by the Kerala Police found that there was no hacking and concluded that Gopalakrishnan had deliberately created the group.

A departmental inquiry and a probe by the cybercrime wing of Kerala police failed to support Gopalakrishnan’s hacking claim. The suspension order cited a serious violation of service rules and a serious breach of discipline.

The order, issued by Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan, emphasized that the police investigation had found no evidence that Gopalakrishnan’s phone had been hacked. “The government is prima facie of the opinion that the said WhatsApp group, founded by Gopalakrishnan K, was intended to create division, create division and disrupt solidarity among the All India Services cadres in the state,” it said the report.

Both Gopalakrishnan and Prasanth have challenged the government’s decision to suspend them, claiming they have been unfairly targeted. They have promised to challenge their suspensions through legal means.

(With inputs from Shibimol KG in Kerala)