The Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Shesh Paul Vaid had warned IPS Basanth Rath over the controversy spiraling around his style of working and operating without uniform. Senior Inspector General (Traffic) Basanth Rath has been allegedly mandating commuters and abusing them, he has also violated service conduct rules.

In a letter sent by Shesh Paul Vaid, IPS Basanth Rath has been advised to stop his strange activities and function within the service conduct rules.  The reaction from the common public, however, had been mixed with some praising his style and some condemning it. He took the charge just two weeks ago and has left an impact on the commuters with his style of functioning.

Mr. Rath is from Odisha and he is from the 2000-cadre. His presence on social media is quite impressive as he posts several messages and pictures from warning people to drive slowly and responsibly to the photographs of policemen violating the rules themselves. There have been several complaints against him in which his posts were said to be indecent and threatening in nature.

His one of the posts said that when others say that he is just seeking attention, he relies on if you like me raise your hands and if you don’t, raise your game. His posts are sometimes over the boundary with one of the posts saying to wear helmets like a condom. His activities like roaming in plain clothes reprimanding traffic rule violators to damaging personal property have invoked a stern letter from J&K Police Chief SP Vaid.

In a letter which was sent to Mr. Rath on Thursday said that he was doing strange activities which lower the dignity of his post as a policeman in his social media videos and pictures. The commuters have complained of being manhandled, damage to their property like helmets, spectacles, and smartphones. These unwarranted activities have forced SP Vaid to issue a stern letter to Mr. Rath.

But his style of functioning has a great number of admirers too. According to one IPS officer Danesh Rana, he compared the cyclones in Odisha with Basant Rath saying that as cyclones often hit Odisha, Mr. Rath has hit J&K. He has been bringing a revolution which I can’t and there is fear of law among people. In the traffic management, there has been disciplined in the commuters like never before. He ended saying that the work was great and “Love you, Tiger”.

In one of his post which he made after arresting a luxury car of the son of one of the senior IPS Officer, he said that “I got an Audi Car seized from a young man with whom I used to play tennis a century ago. His father is a colleague and I am both sad and happy. In a case filed by Lawyer Nitin Bakshi, he said that Mr. Rath has been influenced by Bollywood masala films Dabangg and Singham and he needs to understand the dignity of the posts and stop manhandling and abusing his power. He said that Mr. Rath uses Social media to exploit people.