N Prashanth, Kerala IAS officer: From collector brother to suspended informer: The journey of a Kerala IAS officer

Thiruvananthapuram:

Kerala IAS officer N Prashanth aka 'Collector Bro', who has been suspended on disciplinary grounds after publicly criticizing a senior officer, has over 3 lakh followers on Facebook and 50,000 followers on Instagram . His social media activity had earlier raised eyebrows among politicians, but the bureaucrat has insisted that social media is the best platform to reach out to people.

The irony is that it was because of criticism of a senior officer on social media that he got into trouble and the government had to take action against him. The 2007 batch IAS officer described Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak as a psychopath and accused him of preparing a baseless news report against him. Following the state government's action, the officer has said he is a “whistleblower”. He also said that becoming an IAS officer was not his only ambition and he had other interests too.

Who is 'Collector Bhai'?

N Prashanth is a resident of Thalassery in Kannur district of Kerala. He studied at Loyola School and Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram. Before joining the IAS in 2007, he completed a degree in Banking Law. After holding several roles, he was appointed Kozhikode District Collector in 2015. He was described as 'Collector Bhai' for his social media interactions during this tenure. People and their unique initiatives. One such initiative that caught attention was a Facebook message in which he asked people to help him clean the 14-acre lake. He promised to give a plate of Malabar Biryani to the volunteers. Many volunteers responded to the call and were later rewarded with biryani.

Later, he wrote a book, 'Collector Bro: The Quixotic 'Tangles' of a Civil Servant', describing his experience of leading the Kozhikode district administration. Over the years, he rose to the post of Special Secretary in the SC/ST Development Department.

explosion

Shri Prashant has made serious allegations against Additional Chief Secretary Jayathilak. He has described the senior bureaucrat as a “psychopath” and alleged that he ruined the lives of subordinates who did not follow his instructions. The cause of the outrage was a media report which claimed that several files of 'Unnati' – an initiative aimed at the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – went missing during Mr Prashant's tenure as CEO. The IAS officer rejected the allegations and accused Mr. Jayathilak of being a “special correspondent” who was allegedly undermining him by spreading fake news.

After the suspension, the IAS officer told a TV channel, “This is a new experience for me. Criticizing the government or its policies is wrong and action can be taken. I don't think anyone will be of the opinion that I did that.” Have done.” anything like. My criticism was aimed at the inappropriate tendencies of some individuals, especially as fabricated reports have also emerged in this regard. I believe it is not government policy to make fake reports, but if such actions are criticized, there are consequences. This is news to me.”

political background

The action against N Prashant is also going on in the political background. CPM leader and former fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma has alleged that the IAS officer was involved in a political conspiracy against him. He alleged that the conspiracy was hatched by Congress leaders Ramesh Chennithala and N Prashanth, who was earlier his private secretary.

“Today, Kerala is witnessing the consequences of Mr Prashant IAS breaking all service rules and common decency. But in February 2021, Prashant played the role of a villain in a political conspiracy,” he said in a Facebook post.

He referred to Mr Chennithala's allegation that the Fisheries Department under him had approved a deep-sea trawler deal worth Rs 5,000 crore. “This news sparked controversy. When journalists asked me, I clarified that no such deal had taken place. Ramesh Chennithala released a document purportedly showing that an MoU had been signed … Chennithala falsely claimed that the MoU was signed by the Fisheries Department but in reality, it was signed by Prashanth,” he said. Mercykutty Amma lost the 2021 election in Kundara, which she has represented thrice.

Amid the controversy, the Congress-led UDF has said that government officials in Kerala are fighting each other under the Left rule.