Who is N Prashanth, Kerala IAS officer suspended on disciplinary grounds?

N Prasanth got into trouble after using his social media platform to make multiple posts against IAS officer additional chief secretary A Jayathilak.

N Prashanth, an IAS officer in Kerala who is also known as ‘Collector Bro,’ was suspended on disciplinary grounds after publicly criticising a senior officer on Monday.

Prasanth got into trouble due to multiple posts against IAS officer, Additional Chief Secretary A Jayathilak.(@Ejansinews/X)

Since then, N Prashanth has amassed over 3 lakh followers on Facebook and 50,000 on Instagram. His social media activity had previously drawn the attention of politicians, but Prashanth has maintained that social media is an effective platform for connecting with the public.

'Collector bro'

Hailing from Thalassery in Kerala's Kannur district, N Prasanth joined the IAS in 2007 after finishing his studies at Loyola School and Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram.

After holding various roles, N Prashanth was appointed as the Kozhikode district collector in 2015. During this period, he became known as “Collector Bro” due to his active social media engagement where he would promote initiatives with people.

One such instance is when he posted on Facebook seeking help from people to clean a 14-acre pond, promising them a plate of Malabar biryani as a reward. The call was met with a strong response, and the volunteers were treated to a biryani feast afterwards.

Prashanth later wrote a book, “Collector Bro: The Quixotic ‘Thallals’ of a Civil Servant” in which he shared his experiences of leading the Kozhikode district administration. Over the years, he continued to rise through the ranks and eventually became Special Secretary in the SC/ST Development Department.

He created several programs like Compassionate Kozhikode, a mental health initiative, Operation Sulaimani, which got hotels and restaurants in Kozhikode together to provide meals to starving people, and many others.

Whistleblower

While Prasanth's initiatives online always drew attention, his recent activity resulted in him being one of two IAS officers suspended on Monday. Prasanth got into trouble after using his social media platform to make multiple posts against IAS officer, additional chief secretary A Jayathilak.

Prashanth had described Jayathilak as a "psychopath" and accused him of orchestrating false news reports against him. Following the government's action, Prashanth has defended himself as a "whistleblower" and emphasized that being an IAS officer was not his only goal; he also has other personal interests.

N Prashanth also accused Jayathilak of ruining the careers of subordinates who did not follow his instructions. He stated that though he did not want to air government matters in public, it was the people's right to know.

Earlier, a media report claimed that files from the Unnathi (welfare initiative) report went missing during Prasanth's tenure, which triggered him. He said that Jayathilak was undermining him through false rumors and acting as a “special reporter”.

In response to his suspension, Prashanth spoke to a TV channel, saying "I trust that creating fake reports is not government policy, but if criticizing such actions leads to consequences, then that's news to me."

CPM leader J Mercykutty Amma has also alleged that Prasanth was involved in a political conspiracy against her. In a post on Facebook she said, she knew about Prasanth since 2021 and that “Kerala is witnessing the fallout of Shri Prashanth IAS breaking all service rules and common decency.”