JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir administration or Director General of Police Dilbag Singh’s office has not received any resignation letter of suspended IPS officer Basant Rath, a copy of which was posted on his unverified Twitter handle, officials said on Tuesday.
Senior officials in the Jammu and Kashmir administration said it was possible that Rath, a 2000-batch IPS officer, had only intended to float the idea of seeking voluntary retirement by posting a resignation letter on his unverified Twitter handle, ”KangriCarrier”.
Rath, who has been under suspension since July 2020, is facing disciplinary proceedings for ”repeated instances of gross misconduct and misbehaviour, which have been brought to the notice of the government”, officials said.
In the order of his suspension, the Union Home Ministry had said that ”…during the period of suspension, Rath’s headquarter shall be Jammu and he will not leave it without obtaining permission of Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police.” Efforts to seek reaction from Rath did not yield any result as he neither answered his phone nor replied to WhatsApp messages.
Rath, who will be completing two years of his suspension next month, had announced his resignation through his social media accounts on June 25 hinting that he would join politics to contest elections from Kashmir.
”Politics is a noble profession,” he had posted on Twitter as well as WhatsApp status and Instagram.
In his purported resignation letter addressed to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta and marked to Director General of Police Dilbag Singh and Commandant General Home Guard H K Lohia, Rath said, ”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…,” he had said in his letter dated June 25.
Asked about Rath’s resignation, the sources said they have not received any formal resignation letter and that the officer still has to face the inquiry that has been initiated by the Union Home Ministry. (Agencies)
