Social media is buzzing with a rumour that the J&K Traffic Police chief Basant Rath has reportedly been transferred and attached with the office of the Home Guards Commandant General.
According to reports doing round on the socail media , Alok Kumar is the new Inspector General Police of J&K Traffic.
The non-existent directive supposedly came days after the controversial cop engaged in a Twitter banter with newly appointed Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu. Rath had earlier made an indirect reference to Mattu calling him a “cabbage” which earned him a lot of flak for being rude and disrespectful towards a public representative, from the netizens on social media.
Rath also replied to one of the tweets of Mattu where the latter had criticised the traffic scenario in Srinagar saying that the situation has not improved. Rath had told the Srinagar Mayor that traffic management is not his domain and that the SMC should clear the mess.
The social media is abuzz with conspiracy theories that it may be Rath’s tough attitude towards the political class which led to his transfer, however most of the netizens assume the reason to be his irrational behaviour towards general public.
Rath came on the scene as a peoples’ person in the state and was especially popular among the youth. He made appearances at weddings, football matches and other public events which set him apart from his contemporaries in the police. His tweets had also invited a fair share of attention for criticising politicians, celebrities and engaging with common people.
However, soon the social media presence became too much over bearing for the public and more for the officer himself as he seemed to have engulfed himself in the virtual life so much that he forgot the real part of his job and profile.
From peoples’ man to the most controversial officer, it was the social media only that led the transition in image. Videos of Rath thrashing civilians black and blue for minor violations, damaging vehicles, making lewd and lascivious gestures, using abusive and obscene language started going viral one after another.
Swayed by the support he received during his initial days, on social media, Rath took a wrong turn and started getting accused of harassing poor vendors and rehri walas, and at one instance he was accused of setting ablaze dozens of such road side “vending shops on wheels’ along with the fruits and vegetables they were selling, in Jewel Chowk area of Jammu. After that the videos of misadventures and over reach from Srinagar started getting uploaded ranging from Rath being involved in street brawls, damaging dhabas and small tea stalls, to him being booed, hooted and jeered by angry youngsters who had been following him like a hero when he initially took charge as IGP and promised a lot on twitter and social media. The pomises slowly turned out to be good one liners for internet consumption only.
The transition in image was complete when Basant Rath took his role of judge, jury and executioner outside the virtual world of internet and thrashed a journalist, a senior one on that.
Now will the government take any serious note of the issue, or remain happy in the fact that Rath is directing a lot of heat onto himself, thus wittingly or unwittingly taking the observing eyes of the lens away from many workings of the government.
