MHA suspends Jammu and Kashmir IPS officer Basant Rath for 'misconduct'

Jammu and Kashmir IPS Officer Basant Rath has been suspended on Wednesday for alleged instances of gross misconduct and misbehavior. Recently, Rath had written a letter in which he expressed apprehensions about his safety due to "certain activities" of the Jammu and Kashmir Police chief. Later, the letter went viral on social media, triggering a controversy.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir cadre IPS officer Basant Rath has been placed under suspension with immediate effect by the central government for 'repeated instances of gross misconduct and misbehavior', after his recent run-in with Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh.

In an order issued on Wednesday, the Minister of Home Affairs declared that Rath would be placed under suspension in exercise of powers conferred by the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969.

Rath, a 2000 batch IPS officer, has been attached to Police Headquarters in Jammu and has been asked not to leave the headquarters without permission from the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

On June 13, Rath posted some hilarious tweets on his handle mentioning 'Dilloo' word that seems to be referred to DGP Singh.

"Hi Dilbag Singh. Can I call you Dilloo? Are you the one who owns 50 canals of land in Sarore near the dental college? Is it registered on your name?" Rath tweeted.

"Dear 1978 batch IPS guy who quit his job and now teaches in a top US university. You with your IIT degree, world-class publications and American accent. Why can't the academic in you handle the criticism of the IPS on a public forum? Why these sensitive gums, Verma jee?" he wrote in another tweet.

However, it soon became clear that the tweet was directed at DGP Singh after he responded to the allegations in a WhatsApp group.

Rath is known for running into controversies with his seniors and even some administrators.

On June 26, Rath filed a complaint at Gandhi Nagar police station against his DGP for 'certain activities of Sh. Dilbagh Singh, IPS, 1987 batch, currently DGP, UT of Jammu and Kashmir', which pose an alleged threat to his life.

In 2008, when Rath was posted as IGP Traffic, JK, the then DGP S.P. Vaid had warned him of 'action under the law' for using his unusual ways to manage traffic, which many complained was against the laws.

As IGP traffic, he had many run-ins with some senior and powerful politicians, bureaucrats and police officials. Rath was shifted to his present posting following a run-in with the former mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Junaid Azim Mattu in 2019.