Kannan Gopinathan is an IAS officer from Kerala. He came into limelight after resigning his post and stated that he was unhappy about how the basic rights of the people of J&K were being denied after the abrogation of Article 370.
Wiki/Biography
Kannan Gopinathan was born on Thursday, 12 December 1985 (age 33 years; as in 2018) in Kottayam, Kerala. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. He did his schooling from Puthuppally Technical High School, Kerala. He pursued B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Kannan Gopinathan during his youth
In 2007, after completing his college education, he started working as a design engineer in a company called “Freescale Semiconductors” for 4 years. He has also volunteered for a non-profit organization called “AID India,” where he used to teach underprivileged children. In April 2011, he started preparing for the civil service examination and after completing the examination and interview he started training as an IAS Officer in September 2012.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 9″
Eye Color: Dark Brown
Hair Color: Black
Family, Caste & Wife
Kannan Gopinathan belongs to a Hindu Brahmin Family. Not much is known about his family. He is married to Himani Pathak, whom he met while volunteering for “AID India”. They have a son named Aadu.
Kannan Gopinathan with his father.
Kannan Gopinathan with his wife Himani Pathak and son Aadu
Career
Kannan’s first post was as Assistant Collector in Delhi from July 2013 to July 2014. He was transferred to Mizoram where he was posted as Hnahthial Deputy Collector in September 2014. He worked for one and a half years before being promoted as District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner Aizawl in Mizoram in February 2016.
He worked as DM Aizawl till December 2017, after which he was posted as District Collector of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He was appointed as the Managing Director of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (DNHPDCL). DNHPDCL was a loss making government department but Kannan made the power department profitable.
Kannan Gopinathan in the office
Controversy
- His resignation from the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on August 21, 2019, drew criticism from a section of the community; as he cited the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in J&K as one of the reasons behind his resignation. He expressed his concern over the denial of basic rights to the citizens of J&K. Another reason given by Kannan behind his resignation was the lack of freedom of expression he felt while serving in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).
- On November 6, 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs filed a charge sheet against him and accused him of treason. Kanan posted the charge sheet on twitter and said-
Now before @ians_india dismissed it as a scoop to all the press without my answer let me just get it out. You can still do it secretly @ians_india. No revenge.
A memo for department inquiries is given after 2 months of submitting the resignation. First page ? pic.twitter.com/XhVjQg4QW4
— Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) November 6, 2019
Favourite
- Singers: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani
- Comedian: Raju Srivastava
Facts/Trivia
- Kannan likes to travel, play badminton, listen to music, and play drums.
Kannan Gopinathan plays drums
- During the 2018 Kerala floods, he volunteered for flood relief work. He kept his identity a secret so that no fuss would be made over his presence. While Kannan was volunteering, the Ernakulam District Collector had visited the relief camp and got to know him. He posted a photo of Kannan on social media which went viral. People praise and appreciate his efforts.
Kannan Gopinathan volunteered during the Kerala floods
- He got a memo from the authorities after his visit to Kerala asking him to explain the reason behind his voluntary service in Kerala.
- He also presented a check of INR 1 Crore to “Kerala CM Disaster Relief Fund” as the official representative of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
Kannan Gopinathan presented a check of 1 Crore to Kerala CM Disaster Relief Fund
- When Kannan was posted in Mizoram, he got a chance to meet Pullela Gopichand. He encouraged Gopichand to open 30 badminton training centers for children and a “High Altitude Center of Excellence for sports” in Mizoram.
Kannan Gopinathan with Pullela Gopichand
- He posted several tweets explaining why he resigned. In one of the tweets, he said that he thought that being an IAS would help him voice the opinions of others, but he could not voice his own.
I used to think that being in public service meant an opportunity to expand the rights and freedoms of fellow citizens!
— Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) August 20, 2019
- Some people from the bureaucracy were surprised by Kannan’s resignation. They said that he was an excellent officer and they were surprised that he resigned.
- On 26 August 2019, Priyanka Gandhi satirized the Narendra Modi Government by tweeting a news article about Kannan’s resignation and quoting the Polish poet.
“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth rings out like a gunshot.”
― Czesław Miłosz, Polish poet & writer.
Nobel Prize Lecture, Dec 8, 1980. https://t.co/e7s141o6Rr
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 26, 2019
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
