Goa, Oct. 13 -- Former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan, who resigned in 2019 in protest against the "shutdown" in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370, has officially joined the Congress party. He was welcomed by Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal and senior leader Pawan Khera.

Born in Kottayam, Kerala, Gopinathan studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi. He joined the IAS in 2012 under the AGMUT Cadre. Gopinathan resigned in 2019, opposing the government's decision to impose restrictions across Jammu and Kashmir, including communication blackouts, arrests, and lockdowns.

He stated that after extensive travel and discussions across 80-90 distr...