Indian Police Service officer Basant Rath, has created quite a storm recently, occupying J&K’s internet space and being the talk of the town after his decision to quit service and join electoral politics.
The popular cop affectionately dubbed as Jammu and Kashmir’s ‘Singham’, a moniker inspired by Ajay Devgn’s tough cop character from the movie of the same name made headlines for a series of tweets and news.
First he posted a tweet some hours before he posted his resignation letter, he said: “If I ever join a political party, it WILL be BJP. If I ever contest an election, it WILL be from Kashmir. If I ever join politics, it WILL be before March 6, 2024″.
He further said he will join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) once his resignation is accepted, in an exclusive conversation with The Wire.
Basant said that his decision to quit the elite service stems from his “concern” for the people of J&K. “I have put my career and my entire reputation at stake. But I am not looking for votes in Jammu and Kashmir. My people are not my constituents. They are my family,” he said.
Later he posted his resignation letter on his Twitter handle.
If you think this was surprising, what came next was absolutely shocking. Tweeting he alleged that Director General of Police Dilbag Singh would be responsible if anything untoward happened to him.
Controversy is not new to Rath which follows his unique workstyle rubbing even senior officers in the wrong way.
But in these recent developments the IPS officer has outdone himself. One bombshell dropped after another Basant Rath has created quite a stir in the ever boiling political pot of Kashmir.
Basant Rath vs Mehbooba & Omer?
Another tweet by the ‘Singham’ cop revealed his desire to contest elections and go toe-to-toe agaisnt former Chief Ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omer Abdullah.
This will surely get people from all spheres talking and Basant Rath has hit the nail on its head here.
By mentioning Omar and Mehbooba he has again thrust himself into the eye of the storm, those two leaders whilst not enjoying popularity among masses, that may be Mr. Rath thinks he does, still have a political clout in the region. Not to mentioned their nous and being former Chief Ministers of the erstwhile state add to their political weightage.
Asked by The Wire whether he was being disloyal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir by choosing to join the BJP, which faces accusations of changing the Union Territory’s Muslim-majority character by changing state subject and land laws, Rath replied: “I have a right to be heard. I am here till 2040 and I will like to serve the people. Ask me this question in March 2040.”
There is however a huge roadblock in his quest for entering politics.
Sources in the government said that the Odisha-born, J&K-cadre IPS officer’s resignation is unlikely to be accepted since he is facing a probe by the Union home ministry for “gross instances of misconduct”.
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In a letter shared on his social media pages, Rath said that he was leaving the elite service because he wanted to “participate in electoral politics” of J&K. Although Rath is a domicile of J&K as per new rules – which makes him eligible for contesting elections in J&K – sources said the Union government is unlikely to process his request.
“The resignation of all the three Indian Administrative Services – IAS, IPS and IFS, is governed by Rules 5(1) and 5(1)(A) of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958.
In Basant’s case, the resignation is likely to be rejected since he has a departmental inquiry pending against him,” sources said.
The resignation letter has been sent to J&K chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta on June 25 and its previous version was curiously signed at 4:20 am by Rath, who is known for invoking powerful irony and metonymy in his writings.
Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code deals with the crime of cheating. In popular culture, the number ‘420’ is linked to dishonest acts and persons.
Rath forwarded copy of the June 25 resignation letter to J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh and Commandant General Home Guards and Civil Defence and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Hemant Kumar Lohia. Rath is currently posted in Home Guards and Civil Defence.
Although Rath made public his decision, Lohia told The Indian Express that he is yet to receive the resignation letter. “I too have seen it (Rath’s resignation letter) on social media but I have not officially received any letter,” he said.