Flamboyant Odisha-born senior IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath has resigned from his service to join politics.
The Jammu and Kashmir-cadre IPS officer has submitted his resignation to the Jammu and Kashmir Government citing his ‘enthusiasm in politics’. He informed about his resignation on his social media handles Facebook and Twitter where he termed politics a ‘noble profession’.
In his resignation letter, the 2000-batch IPS officer, who was posted in the rank of an IGP, has mentioned, “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.” the letter dated June 25 read.
Rath had courted controversy for his ‘flamboyant’ style of delivering duties as a tough cop in Jammu and Kashmir. He was placed under suspension around two years ago.
The youth icon in Kashmir is assumed to join the BJP and contest an election in the Union Territory after quitting service from the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
“If I ever join a political party, it WILL be BJP. If I ever contest an election, it WILL be from Kashmir. If I ever join politics, it WILL be before March 6, 2024,” he revealed in a post on social media platforms.
