Basant Rath (IPS) Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	Basant Kumar Rath [1]Government of Jammu & Kashmir
Names Earned	Singham of J&K
Profession(s)	Retired IPS Officer, Social Activist
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in feet & inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)	in kilograms- 65 kg in pounds- 143 lbs
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Bald
Civil Service
Service	Indian Police Service (IPS)
Batch	2000
Cadre	AGMUT
Service Year	4 September 2000 - August 2023
Service Number	20001012
Major Designation(s)	• Under-training IPS officer at Poonch, Kashmir (2001) • Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban range (July 2017) • Inspector General of Police (IGP) (February 2018 - November 2018)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	17 June 1972 (Saturday)
Age (as of 2023)	51 Years
Birthplace	Uttarsahi village, Puri district, Odisha, India
Zodiac sign	Gemini
Signature
Nationality	Indian
School	He did his schooling at Odisha.
College/University	• Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar (BJB) Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, Odisha • Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi
Educational Qualification(s)	• Earned a degree in Psychology at the BJB Autonomous College • MA in Sociology at JNU
Caste	Utkala Brahmin
Address	House number 29, D, Police Lines, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu
Hobby	Writing poetry
Controversies	Dispute With The Superiors During August 2017, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) penned a communication to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, urging her to initiate corrective measures against Basant Rath due to his breach of All India Service Regulations. As per insiders, Rath came under scrutiny by the Intelligence Bureau for composing a total of 12 essays - two for The Indian Express and ten for The Wire. The Intelligence Bureau deemed these articles as seditious, as they strongly criticized government policies and violated the rules laid in the code of conduct for IPS service. [2]The Quint Following Dilbagh Singh's appointment as the head of the Jammu and Kashmir Police in 2018, there were numerous instances of clashes between Rath and Singh. In June 2020, following his suspension, Rath lodged a report against Singh at the Gandhi Nagar Police Station in Jammu, citing concerns about his safety. Following this, Basant published a tweet where he claimed that Dilbagh had improperly taken possession of 50 canals (six acres) of land in Sarore, Jammu. In response, Dilbagh challenged Rath to provide evidence supporting his accusations. The tweet read, "Hi, Dilbag Singh. Can I call you Dilloo? Are you the one who owns 50 canals (six acres) of land in Sarore near the dental college?" After being suspended, Rath penned multiple articles criticizing top government figures, such as DGP Singh. This led to Singh and five associates taking legal action, resulting in a court-issued restraining order. The order barred Basant from creating articles about these six individuals. On 25 June 25, Rath shared a picture of his resignation letter on Twitter. He claimed to have sent this letter to the government, although officials stated they never received it. In the letter, Rath explained his desire to quit his position to engage in politics. [3]ThePrint In August of 2023, following his removal from service due to a declaration of unfitness by the MHA, Rath utilized Twitter to assert that DGP Dilbagh Singh had withdrawn his security protection to cause harm. Additionally, he sent a mail to the Jammu and Kashmir police stating that if any harm befell upon him, the responsibility should lie with Dilbagh Singh.
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Divorced
Family
Parents	Father- Hrushikesh Kumar Rath (priest, farmer) Mother- Ramamani Rath (deceased)
Siblings	He has an elder brother.
Money Factor
Salary (as an IGP)	Rs. 1,44,200 + other allowances [4]Zee News

Some Lesser Known Facts About Basant Rath

• Basant Rath is a social servant and a former IPS officer of the 2000 batch of the AGMUT cadre. His feud with senior IPS officer Dilbagh Singh has often made the headlines. In August 2023, he was relieved of his duties when the Union government decided to retire him voluntarily, ending his two-year suspension.

• During a media interaction, Rath mentioned that he was born into a financially disadvantaged household, which struggled to provide enough food for its members. He talked about it and said,
  

  I come from a village and we were dirt poor. My mother used to starve, pretending that she fasted for religious reasons. I saw a library for the first time when I was 16, that too from outside.”

• After completing his formal education, Rath took the UPSC civil services exam and passed it. Subsequently, he joined the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVNPA) in Hyderabad, Telangana, where he trained to become a police officer.

• Basant Kumar Rath finished his training at SVPNPA and was assigned to the AGMUT cadre on 4 September 2000.
  

  A photo of Basant Rath taken after he was commissioned as an IPS officer

• Following his training at SVPNPA, he initiated a venture named Book Baba, to aid less privileged students aspiring to clear government or IIT-JEE exams. He furnished these students with books and supplementary educational materials. While giving an interview, he said,
  

  My book distribution initiative started in Poonch in 2001 when I was doing my probation. It was unsystematic and disorganized, to begin with. It became structured and organized in 2006 in Ramban. I started using social media to reach out to the deserving students in J&K and Ladakh in 2016 when I was looking after Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban.”

• He was posted to Ramban in 2006.
  

  A photo of Basant Kumar Rath taken while he was giving an interview

• Afterwards, he received numerous promotions and took on significant roles in locations such as Srinagar.

• Functioning in the capacity of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Rath received both commendation and critique for his actions. The negative feedback primarily originated from higher-ranking police officers and government officials due to his unconventional approach as a law enforcement officer. Rath would frequently position himself alongside on-duty traffic police officers on the streets, issuing citations for traffic violations to those who were breaking the regulations. His utilization of social media also attracted disapproval from authorities due to his casual style. Conversely, Rath received appreciation from the inhabitants of Srinagar due to his readiness to impose penalties on government workers, including those within the military and police. He is also recognized for implementing measures that led to city traffic management enhancements, particularly around Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
  

  Basant Rath issuing a traffic challan to an Indian Army vehicle

• In November 2018, Rath was assigned to the Home Guards and Civil Defence Department. Reportedly, the government reassigned him due to his conflict with the former Mayor of Srinagar.
  

  A photo of Rath taken while serving as an IGP

• Rath was suspended in July 2020 on the charges of indulging in misconduct and misbehaviour. His suspension was extended by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for six months on 31 July 2023.

• After being suspended, filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt expressed his interest in creating a Bollywood film centred around the life of Basant Rath.

• In August 2023, after receiving an official communication from the President of India, Rath was compelled to retire early by the government. This early retirement deprived him of the advantages of the Voluntary Retirement Service (VRS) and included only three months’ salary and allowances, which were given beforehand.
  

  A snip of the order issued by the MHA regarding Basant Rath’s retirement

• In August 2023, Rath sought to become a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following his premature retirement by the Indian government. Nonetheless, his bid to join the BJP was declined due to his history as an IPS officer. A senior BJP leader talked about his application and said,
  

  Anyone can join as a member of the BJP using an online facility. It is the party leadership which finally takes a call on whether the individual is inducted or given any responsibility in the party. In BJP, there is no place for indiscipline. He (Rath) has been given premature retirement because of indiscipline.”

  

  A screenshot of Basant Rath’s application to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) uploaded by him on Twitter

• The book “Son of a Brahmin,” which is his autobiography, is scheduled for publication in 2024.

• In March 2023, Rath was granted a domicile by the J&K administration.
  

  Basant Kumar Rath’s Jammu and Kashmir’s domicile certificate

• Black is his favourite colour.

• During a media interaction, Basant Kumar Rath disclosed that he fell in love with a girl from his college while studying at the BJB Autonomous College in Odisha. However, it was a one-sided affair. ^[5]OTV – YouTube

• His favourite quote is “My mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I don’t know…”