Kannan Gopinathan Wiki, Age, Caste, Career, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Kannan Gopinathan was an IAS officer from Kerala. He came into the limelight after resigning from his post and stating that he was unhappy about how the fundamental rights of the people of J&K were being denied after the revocation 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 the Technical Higher Secondary School of Puthuppally, Kerala. He pursued B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

In 2007, after finishing his college education he started working as a design engineer in a company named “Freescale Semiconductors” for 4 years. He also used to volunteer for a non-profit organization named “AID India,” where he used to teach underprivileged kids. In April 2011, he started preparing for the civil services examinations and after clearing his exam and interview he started his training as an IAS Officer in September 2012.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 9″

Eye Colour: Dark Brown

Hair Colour: 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.

 

Career

Kannan’s first posting was as an Assistant Collector in Delhi from July 2013 to July 2014. He was transferred to Mizoram where he was posted as the Deputy Collector of Hnahthial in September 2014. He worked for one and a half years before being promoted as the District Magistrate/Deputy Commissioner of Aizawl in Mizoram in February 2016.

He worked as the DM of Aizawl till December 2017, after which he was posted as the District Collector of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. He was appointed as the Managing Director of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (DNHPDCL). The DNHPDCL was a loss-making government department but Kannan turned the power department profitable.

Controversies

• His resignation from the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on 21 August 2019, received criticism from a faction of the society; as he quoted 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 the fundamental rights to the people of J&K. Another reason which was given by Kannan behind his resignation was the lack of freedom of speech which he felt during his stint in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

• On 6 November 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs filed a charge sheet against him and accused him of insubordination. Kanan posted the charge sheet on twitter and said-

Now before @ians_india pushes it as a scoop to all newspapers without my response let me only put it out. You may still clandestinely do it @ians_india. No grudges.

Memo for departmental inquiry given after 2 months of submitting resignation. First page 😂 pic.twitter.com/XhVjQg4QW4

— Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) November 6, 2019

Favourites

• Actor: Amitabh Bachchan

• Movie: Zanjeer (1973)

• Singer(s): Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani

• Comedian: Raju Srivastava

Facts/Trivia

• Kannan likes to travel, play badminton, listen to music, and play the drums.
  

  Kannan Gopinathan playing the drums

• During the 2018 Kerala floods, he volunteered for the flood relief work. He kept his identity a secret so that no-fuss could be made over his presence. While Kannan was volunteering the District Collector of Ernakulam paid a visit to the relief camp and recognized him. He posted Kannan’s photo on social media which went viral. People praised and appreciated his efforts.
  

  Kannan Gopinathan volunteering during the Kerala floods

• He got a memo from the authorities after his Kerala visit asking him to explain the reason behind his voluntary service in Kerala.

• He also presented a cheque of 1 Crore INR to the “Kerala CM Disaster Relief Fund” as the official representative of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
  

  Kannan Gopinathan presenting a cheque of 1 Crore towards the Kerala CM Disaster Relief Fund

• When Kannan was posted in Mizoram, he got the opportunity to meet Pullela Gopichand. He encouraged Gopichand to open 30 badminton training centres for children and a “High Altitude Centre of Excellence for sports” in Mizoram.
  

  Kannan Gopinathan with Pullela Gopichand

• He posted several tweets explaining as to why he resigned. In one of the tweets, he said that he thought that being an IAS would help him voice the opinion of others, but he could not even voice his own.

I once thought that being in civil services meant an opportunity to expand the rights and freedoms of fellow citizens!

— Kannan Gopinathan (@naukarshah) August 20, 2019

• Several people from the bureaucracy were surprised at Kannan’s resignation. They said that he was a brilliant officer and they were shocked that he resigned.

• On 26 August 2019, Priyanka Gandhi took a jibe at the Narendra Modi Government by tweeting a news article about Kannan’s resignation and quoting a Polish poet.

“In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot.”

― Czesław Miłosz, Polish poet & writer.

Nobel Prize lecture, 8 Dec, 1980. https://t.co/e7s141o6Rr

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 26, 2019