Kannan Gopinathan, Ex-IAS Officer who resigned over Article 370, joins Congress
New Delhi: Six years after resigning from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in protest against the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan formally joined the Congress on Monday.
The announcement was made by Congress general secretary (organisation) and MP K.C. Venugopal, who described Gopinathan as “one of the brave bureaucrats with a passion for the downtrodden and marginalised, and someone who has always stood for justice and unity.”
A 2012-batch IAS officer from the Mizoram cadre, Gopinathan was instrumental in initiating several development projects in the Northeast, particularly in Aizawl.
Addressing a press conference after joining the party, Gopinathan said, “I consider only those people as traitors who know the country is not moving in the right direction but remain silent for their own benefit, greed, or survival. I did not want to become that kind of traitor.”
Questioning the government’s decision in 2019, he added, “Abrogating Article 370 might be the government’s prerogative. But if you shut down an entire state, jail journalists, MPs and former Chief Ministers, and suspend transportation, communication, and the internet, can that be right in a democracy?”
The Kerala-born bureaucrat, known for his outspoken stance on civil liberties and human rights, said he continues to stand by his 2019 decision. “This is a question not just for me but for all of us. Can this be right in a democratic nation? Shouldn’t voices have been raised against this?” he said.
Before his formal induction, Gopinathan met Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, as well as Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
Venugopal, while welcoming Gopinathan, noted that although he resigned in 2019, his resignation has not yet been accepted by the government. “Bureaucrats who fight for justice and the marginalised are being penalised—this trend is visible in states like Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. Even the Chief Justice of India is not immune to such attacks,” he said.
Gopinathan first came into national prominence during the 2018 Kerala floods, when he volunteered in relief operations anonymously, refusing to use his official position for recognition.
With Assembly elections in Kerala scheduled for next year, party sources indicated that Gopinathan is likely to play a significant role both in state-level politics and at the national stage
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UP: Teen girl found hanging from tree; locals claim rape, murder
Pratapgarh (UP) (PTI): The body of a 19-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in a village under the Manikpur police station area here on Sunday morning, police said.
According to the police, the woman had gone to sleep after dinner on Saturday night but was found hanging in an orchard nearly 400 metres away from her home the following morning.
Additional Superintendent of Police (West), Brijnandan Rai, stated that the circumstances suggest foul play.
"The victim's slippers and undergarments were recovered 50 metres away from the spot where the body was found. There are visible injury marks on her body," Rai said.
While locals have alleged that the woman was murdered after being raped, the ASP said that it is "prima facie a case of murder."
"Based on the complaint filed by the victim's brother, a case of murder has been registered against unidentified persons. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination," the officer added.
Police further clarified that if the medical report confirms sexual assault, relevant sections will be added to the FIR.
Forensic experts and police teams have collected evidence from the spot and are investigating the matter from all angles.
