By Our Special Correspondent

Mangaluru, Sep 6: Why many public servants resign these days in India that includes some IAS and IPS officers who are known as honest and upright?

The latest resignation of Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil reminds about this question.

Though there are many such cases in India, we look at three important recent cases.

Sasikanth Senthil – ‘Fundamental building blocks of diverse democracy being compromised’

Honest and upright deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada Sasikanth Senthil resigned on Friday, September 6, saying the decision was personal one. In a letter addressed to friends, he has mentioned that “I have tendered my resignation from the Indian administrative service today. At this juncture. It is important for me to clarify that this decision is purely a personal one. It is in no way connected to anyone or any event in my current profile as the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district. I must mention that the people and the public representatives of Dakshina Kannada district have been extremely kind to me and I owe an apology to them for discontinuing the job vested on me midway,”

“I have taken this decision as I feel that it is unethical for me to continue as a civil servant in the government when the fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner. I also feel strongly that the coming days will present extremely difficult challenges to the basic fabric of our nation and that I would be better off outside the IAS to continue with my work at making life better for all. It simply cannot be business as usual anymore. I once again express my heartfelt gratitude for all who have worked with me in all capacities and in the process have formed a thread of friendship with me. I wish well for all my fellow staff and their families.” the letter continues.

What is obvious for this letter is, Senthil made the decision after it was very tough for him to continue in IAS service due to moral reasons. That is why he mentions ‘unethical’ word in the letter. He says that fundamental building blocks of our diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner, which can be interpreted as he is not happy with the system. He also foresees many dangers to the democracy in the future and feels that he is better off as an ordinary worker somewhere than being a civil servant. This is a sad case indeed and a huge loss for people of Dakshina Kannada.

The people of Dakshina Kannada are in shock after they heard this news as Sasikanth was a people-friendly and extremity popular DC Dakshina Kannada saw like his other popular predecessors Bharat Lal Meena and Ponnuraj.

Senthil came to Mangaluru as DC in October 2017. He handled last year’s deluge problem effectively. He also handled dengue outbreak and sand issue in a transparent and effective manner. He became a household name in the last two years. He was accessible to all.

Sasikanth Senthil S, an IAS officer of the 2009 batch, hails from Tamil Nadu and has previously served as DC of Raichur.

IPS officer Annamalai – Kailash Manasorovar prompted to change priorities and death of IPS Madhukar Shetty had implications on re-examining life.

Popular IPS officer Annamalai, hailed as ‘Singham’ of Karnataka police, gave a shock to his fans and admirers on May 28 this year when he decided to resign from his profession.

His resignation came soon after Lok Sabha election results were announced.

In a personal letter addressed to his friends and well-wishers, Annamalai said that he wanted to take some time out and settle down in his native village and engage himself in farming. “I want to be a good father to my son.” he said in the letter.

His political ambitions were not mentioned in the letter. But a tweet from another popular police officer D Roopa IPS indicated that he resigned to join politics.

Annamalai also mentioned that his trip to Kailash Manasorovar last year prompted him to change priorities and death of IPS Madhukar Shetty too had some implications on re-examining his life.

He said he enjoyed every bit of being a police officer. He did not want to let down the government during Lok Sabha elections and hence he waited for some months to resign.

“I am a too small man to have lofty ambitions,” the letter said indicating that for some time he would be based in his native place rearing sheep and doing farming.

A newspaper had earlier reported that Annamalai had met a few RSS leaders in the past and he would join the BJP.

However, Annamalai himself denied reports about him joining politics till now. His future moves are yet to be known.

Annamalai was serving as DCP in Bengaluru when he resigned. He was known as a strict and upright officer feared by criminals and anti-social elements. During his stint as SP of Udupi, he kept a tight grip on fringe elements and earned the love and respect of the public, so much so that when he was transferred, people had protested.

Hailing from Karur in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai began his career as ASP of Karkala sub-division in 2013, before becoming SP of Udupi and Chikkamagaluru districts. He was later transferred to Bengaluru.

IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan - ‘Lack of freedom of expression’

Recently, IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan resigned citing the reason 'lack of freedom of expression’

Kannan Gopinathan from the AGMUT cadre came into the limelight for his anonymous participation in the flood relief efforts in Kerala last year. The officer, who has been serving as the secretary of the power, urban development and town and country planning departments of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli sent his resignation to the Union Home Secretary on August 21.

Speaking to a newspaper, Gopinathan who joined the service in 2012 said that he took the decision because he wanted his freedom of expression back.

“Over the past few days, I have been really perturbed by what is happening in the country, wherein a large section of our population have had their fundamental rights suspended. There has been a lack of response to it. We seem to be perfectly fine with it. I also see in some small ways how I am also a part of it.”

He hinted at how there has been no response even from within the service to the detaining of former civil servant Shah Faesal, who was the first Kashmiri to secure first in the civil services examination.

“We got into the service thinking that we can provide voice to people, but then we ended up with our own voice being taken away from us. In a democracy, let’s say Hong Kong or any other democracy, if the government takes a decision, that is their right. But the response to that decision is the people’s right. Here, we have taken a decision and then we have detained everybody. They are not even allowed to respond to that decision. That is dangerous,” he said.

He has not yet decided about his future course.

Hailing from Kottayam, he completed his schooling from Puthuppally, and later completed electrical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology. During the unprecedented floods that hit Kerala in 2018, he actively participated in the relief efforts at Chengannur. He had kept his identity a secret until, a fellow officer identified him.

All these above officers resigned during their prime time in their professions. In all the above cases, poor people were the losers.