J&K IPS officer Basant Rath suspended for ‘gross misconduct’

An order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs said, “A disciplinary proceeding against Shri Basant Rath (IPS: RR: 2000, JK) is contemplated in connection with repeated instances of gross misconduct and misbehaviour, which have been brought to the notice of the Government. During the period of suspension, Rath’s headquarter shall be Jammu and he will not leave it without obtaining permission of Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police.”

It added that during the period of suspension, Rath shall be paid the subsistence allowances and dearness allowance as admissible under Rule 4 of the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, on production of a certificate that he is not engaged in any other employment, business, profession or vocation.

Rath could not be reached for comment as he did not respond to repeated phone calls.

A 2000-batch IPS officer who was posted as IGP Home Guards in Jammu and Kashmir, Rath had on June 25 lodged a written complaint at Gandhi Nagar police station requesting the SHO to “take note of my apprehensions about my life, liberty and bald head”. The “reason”, Rath had written, was “certain activities of Sh. Dilbagh Singh, IPS, 1987 batch, currently DGP, UT of J and K”. He had marked a copy of the written complaint to the DGP.

Stating that he was doing this “as a private citizen” and in his “personal capacity”, not as a civil servant or policeman, Rath wrote, “I am not asking you to lodge an FIR against the person mentioned. I am just asking you to make this letter a part of the daily diary in your police station. Today. Now.”

He added, “In case something bad happens to me, you should know whose number you should dial…”

Promoted as IGP in 2018, Rath became popular among people for his effective regulation of traffic. However, his stint as IGP-Traffic was short-lived. He was then made IG Home Guards.