Another IAS officer quits service

In yet another high-profile resignation by a bureaucrat, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner S Sasikanth Senthil on Friday quit the civil service saying "it is unethical for him to continue when fundamental building blocks of democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner".

An IAS officer of the 2009 batch of Karnataka cadre, he initially said in an open letter that his decision was "purely personal" but went on to say that the 'nation will face difficult challenges in the coming days'.

In August, IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan from the AGMUT cadre, resigned last month rom service saying he quit protesting against the Centre's decisions in Jammu and Kashmir.

However, Senthil, in his letter, did not make any reference to any issue except to say "I have taken the decision as I think that it is unethical to continue as a civil servant when fundamental building blocks of 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," 40-year-old Senthil, who hails from Tamil Nadu, said in the letter.

He had served as Assistant Commissioner in Ballari between 2009 and 2012 and held the post of Chief Executive Officer of Shivamogga Zilla Panchayat for two terms. He was also the Deputy Commissioner of Chitradurga and Raichur districts. Senthil was the Director in the Mines and Geology Department since November 2016.