In a rare gesture in trouble-torn Kashmir valley, people rallied in support of IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath following his transfer by the administration, in the wake of his online spat with newly-elected Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu.
Mr. Rath, who has earned plaudits for streamlining the traffic system in Jammu and Kashmir in less than one year of being appointed as Inspector General of Police (Traffic), was shunted out on Tuesday and replaced by 1997-batch IPS officer Alok Kumar. He has been attached with the office of Commandant General of Home Guards.
“Dear officer, Basant Rath, we salute you for being an honest and dedicated officer. Love you always and you'll always stay in our heart and our blessings are always with you. We are going to miss you sir. May God bless you,” wrote Mohsin Ahmed on Twitter, one of his legions of fans.
Mr. Rath trended on several social media platforms in the Valley after the transfer.
Hailing from Odisha, Mr. Rath, who studied sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, cleared the UPSC examination in 2000 and made it to the IPS.
He earned himself a following in Kashmir, a place where a significant section of youth is angry against security forces and engages in frequent street battles.
His pro-people measures, accessibility to the commoners and punishing the ‘rich brats’ saw Mr. Rath emerge as a rare cop whom the locals would gladly approach to get selfies clicked with.
However, last week, Mr. Rath took on Mr. Mattu over his remarks at his maiden conference as Mayor that wetlands in Srinagar were not of much use if the city did not have proper infrastructure for expansion, triggering an online face-off between the two.
‘Madhav behind move’
National Conference leader and former Srinagar Mayor Salman Ali Sagar alleged that the current incumbent used his newly-found affection for the BJP and its general secretary Ram Madhav to get Mr. Rath transferred.
