A 2009-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, S. Sasikanth Senthil, tendered his resignation on Friday stating it was “unethical’’ to continue as a civil servant “when the fundamental building blocks of India’s diverse democracy are being compromised in an unprecedented manner’’.

Senthil is the second IAS officer to resign after Kannan Gopinathan, from the 2012 batch of the AGMUT cadre, did so last month to be able to speak out on situations he felt were unbecoming of a democratic country, especially the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir.

Like Gopinathan, Senthil has made it clear that his decision is purely personal and “is in no way connected to anyone or any event in my current profile as the deputy commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district’’.

Apart from the “unethical” part, Senthil has stressed the need to get out of one’s comfort zone, saying it “cannot be business as usual’’.

With the coming days poised to present extremely difficult challenges to the fabric of India, he said: “I would be better off outside the IAS to continue with my work at making life better for all. It simply cannot be business as usual any more.”

Senthil, posted in Mangalore, had gone on leave for a week from Tuesday, handing over charge and his official phone to his deputy. None among his staff or colleagues at the time knew of his plans, and were all taken by surprise when word of his resignation reached them on Friday morning.

Senthil remained unreachable all day, his phone switched off, after he had issued a statement announcing his resignation and explaining the reason.

His decision has attracted praise as well as criticism. Former human resource development secretary Anil Swarup, who had wondered why Gopinathan had chosen to resign, has weighed in on Senthil’s resignation too.

“Sad that officers are choosing to quit a coveted service that provides enormous opportunity to serve the people of the country. There is an urgent need to understand why it is happening & to set up an institutional framework for mentoring junior officers,’’ Swarup tweeted.

It usually takes a couple of months to process resignations. But disciplinary action could well be initiated against Gopinathan and Senthil as they have aired their reasons in public, which can be construed as action contrary to service rules.