Stonepelters Are My People, Can’t Disown Them: IPS Officer Basant Rath

Basant Rath also said that the Indian media fails to understand the core issue of Kashmir

Srinagar: IPS officer Basant Kumar Rath on Thursday said that the stonepelters in Jammu and Kashmir are his people and he cannot disown them. While addressing a gathering at India Today Mind Rocks, Basant Rath also said that the Indian media fails to understand the core issue of Kashmir.

“Kashmiri people are my people… can’t demonise them. People by nature are people. They have emotions and feelings, you [have to] treat them well,” he said.

Giving an example of his family, the IPS officer said that he never liked his father in the terms of the authority he had in his family structure but that “does not mean I am not his son.”

“Just because somebody doesn’t agree with you [the government], you can’t demonise them.”

“Kashmir has a history — We have to respect the sentinments and the people there. There is a gap between the politicians speeches and bureacrats’ work on ground.”

Speaking on religion, Basant Rath took a dig at politicians and said, “It [religion] is not important for the people but for the politicians.”

Courtesy | India Today