Basant Rath, the maverick top cop of traffic police has been shunted out of the department. The sudden government decision jolted the youth of Kashmir valley, which Basant considered his constituency. This part of the state, mostly, looks at its leaders and officers with skepticism. Basant Rath, perhaps, in a very long time, became an exception. He is the only police officer who would roam around the Srinagar city without an escort. Would take a bicycle ride to check the traffic movement. Would don casual trousers and T-shirt,board a mini-bus to keep a check on over-loading. He would dare to ‘mess’ with big hoteliers and restaurant owners who had their estates extended beyond permissible limits. He would lesson the youth on roads regarding safe riding and how it is dangerous to go careless about driving without helmets and seat-belts. His physical presence on the roads coincided with his virtual presence on social media. Send him a complaint about a traffic jam on twitter and within seconds, traffic cops would show up on roads to clear it. This was appreciable and unprecedented.
His honesty, character and integrity was hailed by one and all. SP Vaid, the former DGP of J&K has also commended his honesty. He enjoys a massive fan following among youth of the valley. His antics attract large crowd and his unorthodox ways succeeded in managing the otherwise chaotic Srinagar traffic to a large extent. In a restive part of this state, one cannot fathom the fact that a non-resident police officer of the rank of IGP (IPS) roams around without security when even local policemen are scared to visit their homes sans security.
This week, Rath has found himself mired into a controversy when he, as usual, couldn’t stay silent after the new mayor of Srinagar city; Junaid Matto blabbered on wetlands wherein he demeaned their significance. BasantRath, discreetly, referred to Junaid Matto as cabbage and tweeted ‘only a cabbage can think otherwise’. This didnt go well with Junaid Matto and his backers in PC and BJP who eventually effected his transfer in very quick time. This is, at least, what netizens and common people believe.
This should have not happened at the very first place. Junaid Matto had run his campaign around the word ‘change’ but this is not a welcome change. If Basant Rath’s transfer was on cards perhaps it should have been avoided at this juncture, at least. Political leaders should try to build public confidence in institutions like police and not undo it. It sends a wrong signal that there is no respect for honest, upright and dedicated officers. Kashmir needs officers like Basant Rath who make people believe in them and repose trust which otherwise is lacking. Who can make people understand that there still are people from the rest of the India who can open up their heart for the local population?
Big fat ego could have taken a leave for some time. Political leaders needed Basant more than ordinary people. Basant got respect because he accorded respect to much maligned and bruised local population. He not only admired our culture but would try becoming part of it. His twitter handle goes by the name, Kangricarrier’- And imagine what it means for a Kashmiri carrying a kangri during harsh, long winters.
Rath comes from a poor family from a coastal village in Orissa. According to him his role model has been his mother who used to starve to save food for her children.
Members of the IPS, Rath said, need to put their own house in order. Their daily singing of the dirge of political interference wont change anything. More than half of their waking time goes waste wailing about the IAS lobby. The IPS community cant afford to shy away from data-driven research on what works and what doesnt in policing and law enforcement. Their fixation with Power Point presentations and Badakhana and Darbar need to be questioned. India deserves a better police architecture. Indians deserve a better law enforcement ecosystem,” he was quoted by media as saying.
Basant was not only a crowd puller but he succeeded in his mission, to a large extent. His success in streamlining traffic in Jammu province is largely attributed to his work ethics. He would not like interference in his work. He, many a times, had online verbal spat with who’s who of politics but he remained unapologetic. He once tweeted that, ”he doesn’t smoke friendship” when a netizens complained that he had fined a friend for non-compliance of traffic rules.
Now when I am jotting down this piece as a tribute that the youth of J&K love him, he tweets a picture of his interview with TOI. He says;”I am not here to worry about someone’s sense of entitlement just because he or she is politically well-connected. If I am able to connect with the masses, I have a reason to be proud of my style of work.” This tells that how much rapport he had developed with the masses.
Not only his mother wanted him to be like this (as he wrote on twitter) but we all, the youth of Kashmir wanted him to be like this. He has rekindled a hope in us and we will want him to be given a role again that can help us connect with him, again. Basant Rath, you are being missed.
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