Career
He represented India in the 50 km race walk event at the in London. His personal best in this event before the Games was 4:02:13 and he bettered it by clocking a time of 3:56:48, a new national record. Basanta qualified for the Olympics at the 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Saransk, Russia in May 2012, with a B qualifying standard.
He was trained by the former national record holder Gurdev Singh.
In the 1960 Olympics at Rome, Zora Singh was 8th clocking 4:37:44.6s. Basanta finished 36th in the event by setting a new national record of 3:56:48.
By setting this record, Basanta broke the previous national record of 4:16:22 clocked by his mentor Gurdev Singh who had set it in Hyderabad in 2005. Basanta is from a hamlet, located 12 hours north of Kathmandu.
He joined the Indian army in 2002 and is currently serving at the Gorkha Regiment.