J&K bureaucrat, resigned citing intolerance, rejoins service

Srinagar: Former IAS officer Shah Faesal, who quit service in 2019, joined back on Thursday. He had quit his job then, citing rising intolerance and announcing plans to start a political party, PTI reported.

PTI learned from officials that they had not accepted Faesal's 2019 resignation.

Faesal, the first UPSC topper from Jammu and Kashmir, had hinted at his return to service on Wednesday. In a series of tweets on Thursday, he said, "8 months of my life (Jan 2019-Aug 2019) created so much baggage that I was almost finished. While chasing a chimaera, I lost almost everything that I had built over the years. Job. Friends. Reputation. Public goodwill. But I never lost hope. My idealism had let me down," he said. "But I had faith in myself. That I would undo the mistakes, I had made. That life would give me another chance. A part of me is exhausted with the memory of those eight months and wants to erase that legacy. Much of it is already gone. Time will mop off the rest in believe," he added.

PTI reports that there were speculations about his return for the past year, either as an IAS officer or as an advisory to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

He tweeted, "Just thought of sharing that life is beautiful. It is always worth giving ourselves another chance. Setbacks make us stronger. And there is an amazing world beyond the shadows of the past. I turn 39 next month. And I'm really excited to start all over again."

Faesal quit service in 2019 January and started the party Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement in March of that year. He had plans to contest in elections which were to be held but got arrested in August, amid the Abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into union territories. But after his release, he gave up his plans to enter politics and issued hints at returning to service.

PTI reports that they had been a staunch supporter of the ruling national BJP government and continuously shared speeches of Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and often shared the government's policies.