Bilal Bashir Bhat
Srinagar, Jul 19 (KNB): The people of Kashmir have expressed dismay over the style of performing professional duties by incumbent IGP Traffic Basant Rath. Pertinently, a video has gone viral on Social media where Rath is seen slapping a person outside Pratab Park Srinagar.
According to the reports, the IGP Traffic Basant Rath who is known for his positive ‘Rowdysim’ landed in a fresh controversy after a video surfaced on social media wherein he is seen slapping a person. Though the identification of the ‘victim’ was not ascertained, however, he gained a lot of sympathy on social media.
As soon as the video went viral on social media people took to the social media sites and demanded stern action against the IGP Rath. Using hashtags like #TerroristOnRoad
“I demand an immediate termination of Basant Rath from his duties. Terrorizing common man by using the powers of his uniform cannot be tolerated. Basant Rath has no right to assault a common man by taking advantage of his authority. JKP should launch an FIR against Basant,” writes a netizen Shadab Peerzada.
“Basant Rath is Disappointing! Did Law permit him to Slap? Dedication without having Right attitude makes No Sense. #BasantRath You need to Remember, It’s Kashmir a Civilized Nation,” writes a social activist Yasir Rasool.
A netizen Firdous Mir condemning the incident stated, “Utterly Disgust & Shameful How Basant Rath continuously Slapped That ”Young Long Beard Man’.”
Meanwhile, briefing the netizens about the incident, the Basant Rath also took to the social media giant Facebook wherein he stated, “Friends, there is no question of me doing something that would make me lose the kind of affection I’ve got in J and K. This is the biggest achievement of my life. Life, not career.
That 40 seconds video was a part of a 25 odd minutes long conversation in that fateful afternoon. The guy posed to a be medical student from Delhi spending his vacation in Srinagar. He asked me a lot of questions that were political in nature. I trusted him as a friend. And my answers were honest and politically incorrect. Ten odd minutes into our conversation, I realised that a couple of his friends were recording our conversation. When I asked them to stop it and delete the videos, they created a scene. That triggered the scuffle.
The incident is more than two months old. I’ll regret my choice to engage with the guy that afternoon for a pretty long time.”
Pertinently, members of All J&K Transport Welfare Association in March this year alleged Basant Rath of harassment to public transport drivers/ conductors.
In the same month Basant turned red-faced after he unknowingly posted a photo on social media showing a police vehicle towing by the Traffic police crane Police with a caption “equality before Law ladies and gentlemen,” though the photo evoked a good response from netizens, however, later it turns a hoax after Police clarified that the Vehicle was towed by Traffic department on request of a local police station.
In April this year, the owner of famous Coffee Shop Barista Sajid Shah located at Rajbagh has termed the behavior of the IG Traffic Basant Rath as uncivilized after the former’s outlet was bulldozed by latter. (KNB)
