J&K IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath resigns, says he wants to join politics

NEW DELHI,JUNE 26: SENIOR IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath on Sunday announced his resignation on social media, saying he wished to join electoral politics in Jammu and Kashmir.

A controversial police officer, who has several admirers in Kashmir Valley, posted his resignation letter on social media. “I wish to resign from the Indian Police Service in order to be able to participate in electoral politics.

Please consider this letter as my request for resignation/voluntary retirement and process it accordingly,” Rath said in a letter written to J&K Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta.

Rath forwarded copy of the June 25 resignation letter to J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh and Commandant General Home Guards and Civil Defence and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Hemant Kumar Lohia. Rath is currently posted in Home Guards and Civil Defence.

Although Rath made public his decision, Lohia told The Indian Express that he is yet to receive the resignation letter. “I too have seen it (Rath’s resignation letter) on social media but I have not officially received any letter,” he said.

-PTI