Suspended Kerala bureaucrat N Prashanth – aka “Çollector Bro” told NDTV today that the allegations against him of publicly criticising a senior officer was a one-year-old issue that has suddenly been raked up. The allegations against him, he alleged, have been “cooked up” by the senior officer in collaboration with others. 

Describing his action in terms of social media is “trivialising the matter” the bureaucrat said, insisting this was punishment for what he wrote on government files a year ago. Declaring that he is a whistleblower who had just written his “opinion,” which they are “paid to do”, he said he would defend his right to do so. 

As the Special Secretary in the agriculture department, Mr Prashanth said he had tried all the regular channels to flag his concerns about Additional Chief Secretary Jayathilak, who had submitted forged documents to the government. When it did not help, he had sought a transfer.

A year later, Mr Prashanth was suspended by the Pinarayi Vijayan government after he made derogatory remarks against the officer on social media. The provocation was a media report that claimed several files of ‘Unnathi’ – a welfare initiative for Scheduled Castes and Tribes — went missing during his tenure as its CEO.

Mr Prashanth trashed the allegations and called the senior officer a “special reporter”. He also described him as a “psychopath” who victimised subordinates who did not follow his instructions. 

About his suspension, the officer questioned why he was being gagged, pointing out that service rules prevent him from only speaking out against the government and it policies. And not just him, several officers had earlier spoken out against Jayathilak, he added. 

Asked about his future plans, Mr Prashanth said: “I have written this exam. I have taken pains to clear this exam and come into the service. And I love this service. And over the last 17-18 years, it has been so fulfilling. So I am not going to get frustrated by these kind of things. I believe in the rule of law.”