Former IAS Officer Who Resigned Over Kashmir Shutdown Joins Congress

SRINAGAR: Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who had resigned from service in 2019 in protest against the “shutdown” of Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, joined the Congress party on Monday.

Gopinathan joined the party in the presence of Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and senior leader Pawan Khera. Speaking after joining, Gopinathan said his decision came after years of reflection and travel across India, during which he realised that the Congress was the only political force capable of steering the country “in the right direction.”

“I resigned in 2019 because it was clear then that the direction in which the government wanted to take the country was not right,” he said. “I travelled across 80 to 90 districts, spoke with people, and met several leaders. It became clear that only the Congress party can take the country in the direction in which it should go.”

Born in Kottayam, Kerala, Gopinathan studied in Palakkad before earning a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi. A 2012 batch IAS officer, he had served in the Dadra and Nagar Haveli administration and became known for his outspoken views on governance and democratic freedoms.

His resignation in August 2019 came in the aftermath of the central government’s decision to abrogate Article 370, which had accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The move was followed by a months-long communication blockade and detention of several political leaders, journalists, and activists in the region.

Gopinathan had then termed the measures taken in Jammu and Kashmir as “a shutdown of an entire state,” questioning whether such actions could be justified in a democracy. Reiterating his stand on Monday, he said, “Abrogating Article 370 might be a decision of the Government, but to shut down an entire state, jail journalists, MPs, and former CMs, and to suspend transportation, communication and the internet—can that be right in a democratic nation? I raised that question then, and I stand by it even today.”

The abrogation of Article 370 by the Modi government on August 5, 2019, also led to the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The restoration of full statehood remains a key demand of regional political parties in Jammu and Kashmir.

By joining the Congress, Gopinathan’s political positioning marks a significant shift from activism to formal politics — a move that, he said, is rooted in his belief that dissent and reform must now find space within institutional frameworks. His joining also comes at a time when the Congress is seeking to reassert itself nationally and build narratives around constitutional rights and democratic accountability — issues Gopinathan has long spoken about.