Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Friday ordered a high-level inquiry into allegations that senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan verbally abused and threatened a woman JKAS officer during an official meeting, triggering widespread condemnation from political parties, civil service representatives and the National Commission for Women (NCW).
The General Administration Department (GAD) has appointed Mandeep Kaur, a 2004-batch IAS officer and Commissioner-Secretary to the Housing and Urban Development Department, as the inquiry officer. Amit Vermani, Additional Secretary in the GAD, has been appointed the presenting officer. The panel has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.
The controversy erupted during a virtual review meeting on Mission YUVA held on October 14. Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer serving as Administrative Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, allegedly used unparliamentary language against Beenish Wani, Assistant Director (Employment), Ganderbal, and threatened disciplinary action against her.
A video of the exchange circulated widely on social media, prompting demands for accountability and renewed debate over workplace dignity, the exercise of administrative authority and the protection of junior officials from alleged intimidation.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the officer’s conduct was, prima facie, unbecoming of a senior IAS officer and that subsequent threats against a junior JKAS officer had aggravated the matter. He said he had taken up the issue strongly with Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and instructed him to ensure that Wani faced no retaliatory action.
“I’ve taken this up in the strongest possible terms with the chief secretary,” Abdullah said, adding that control over IAS officers in a Union Territory rested with the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
The Chief Minister said that had Jammu and Kashmir retained statehood, the officer would have been attached to the General Administration Department pending an inquiry into his conduct.
“As a UT, we expect the authorities with control over IAS officers to set the right example and ensure that abusive, threatening behaviour is not brushed under the carpet,” he said.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah called for Ranjan’s immediate expulsion from Jammu and Kashmir, saying officers and ministers were appointed to serve the people and address their grievances rather than insult or abuse them.
Speaking to reporters after offering Friday prayers at Dargah Hazratbal, the former Chief Minister said he felt embarrassed after watching the video and that the officer’s conduct had placed the entire administrative system in an uncomfortable position.
“The language he used was completely wrong; he should be reprimanded. This shows that he lacks the decency and conduct an officer ought to possess. Officers are duty-bound to listen to the people, who only want to present their grievances,” Farooq Abdullah said.
He said that had the incident occurred when Jammu and Kashmir was a state, he would have sent the officer out of the Union Territory.
“If I were there (in power) when this happened, he would not have remained in this state for more than two minutes. I would have put him right back on the plane and sent him away,” he said.
Farooq Abdullah linked the incident to the changes introduced in Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, when the erstwhile state’s special constitutional status was revoked, statehood was withdrawn and the region was reorganised into two Union Territories.
Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti urged Omar Abdullah to take up the matter directly with the Union government and demand strict action against Ranjan.
“Such erratic and disdainful conduct cannot be tolerated. CM @OmarAbdullah must immediately take up the matter with the Government of India and demand strict action against the officer who is already facing allegations of issuing illegal gun licences,” Mufti said in a post on X.
Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi also condemned the alleged conduct, describing the incident as an assault on dignity and warning against any retaliatory action against the woman officer.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Karra wrote to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha seeking a fair and time-bound inquiry into the incident.
Karra called for examination of the full recording, protection for Wani against professional retaliation and an investigation into reported disparaging remarks made during the meeting about the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC).
In his letter, Karra said the allegations concerning the October 14 Mission YUVA meeting raised serious concerns about the language allegedly used by a senior IAS officer towards a woman colleague and the reported directions to initiate action against her.
He described the reported remarks about JKPSC as troubling, saying the commission was a vital constitutional institution and that any attempt to undermine its credibility or public confidence in its functioning deserved serious examination.
The Jammu and Kashmir BJP also condemned the alleged use of abusive language by the senior officer. Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the behaviour was unacceptable and that senior bureaucrats must not use unparliamentary language against junior colleagues.
Thakur said officials in the Union Territory were expected to follow what he described as a “post-2019 work culture” based on transparency and accountability. He maintained that the administration had been provided with the facilities required to function effectively and that officials, regardless of rank, should be held accountable.
Senior BJP leader and former Jammu mayor Rajinder Sharma criticised the political leadership over what he described as a failure to ensure that officials remained answerable for their conduct.
Sharma said the incident raised concerns about the treatment of government employees and ordinary citizens by the administration. He questioned whether the Chief Minister’s response should be limited to a public statement and suggested that he approach the Lieutenant Governor with his council of ministers to press for strict action.
He also suggested that Abdullah take up the matter with Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, whose department deals with IAS officers, to seek accountability and prevent a recurrence.
The National Commission for Women took suo motu cognisance of the video circulating on social media. NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar wrote to Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo seeking verification of the footage, an impartial inquiry and appropriate legal and disciplinary proceedings if the allegations were substantiated.
The commission called for safeguards against workplace harassment and victimisation and sought an Action Taken Report within seven days, emphasising that every woman officer was entitled to a dignified workplace.
The JKAS Officers’ Association strongly condemned the alleged intimidation and public humiliation of Wani. It rejected claims that the circulating video was fabricated or generated using artificial intelligence, saying officials present during the meeting had testified to its authenticity.
The association demanded a public apology from Ranjan and formal misconduct proceedings, stressing that administrative discipline must be based on mutual respect, fairness and accountability.
In the video circulating online, Ranjan is seen repeatedly interrupting Wani while she explains the targets achieved by her office and clarifies the role of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) as a supporting agency.
During the exchange, Ranjan allegedly told her to “shut up” and used the abusive expression “bloody shit”. When Wani objected to the language, he reportedly said he could speak to her in that manner because he was her superior.
Ranjan then allegedly instructed another official to prepare a suspension order for Wani and threatened to recommend her dismissal from service to the GAD.
Wani, a 2015-batch JKAS officer, had joined the virtual meeting while on sanctioned leave for medical treatment, according to the information provided about the incident.
The inquiry ordered on Friday is expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the exchange and determine whether disciplinary action is warranted. No findings have yet been announced.
Ranjan was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2020 over his alleged involvement in an arms licence scam involving the issuance of licences on forged documents during his tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara. He was suspended by the Jammu and Kashmir administration following his arrest and reinstated in 2021.
He has also faced a probe into allegations of disproportionate assets. The earlier cases are separate from the inquiry into his alleged conduct during the Mission YUVA meeting.
Dalit, OBC, minority confederation holds protests against IAS officer in Jammu, seeks apology
A confederation representing Dalits, OBCs, minorities and tribal communities on Friday held protests against the alleged use of inappropriate language by IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan against a woman officer during an online meeting at the Srinagar Secretariat and demanded a public apology.
The protests were led by State President, DOMA Confederation, Jammu & Kashmir, R K Kalsotra here. They raised slogans against the IAS officer, displayed placards and urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to punish him.
Talking to reporters, he said the incident was an insult to women, constitutional values, and the legacy of B R Ambedkar and his efforts to secure equal rights for women.
He alleged that Ranjan used expressions such as “bloody shit” and “get out” against the woman officer during the online meeting and did not give her an opportunity to present her side.
“This is not just an insult to one officer but an insult to women across the country,” Kalsotra said, adding that the remarks reflected a mindset that disrespected women.
The confederation demanded that Ranjan apologise publicly in the same manner in which the online meeting was held, saying an open apology was necessary over what it described as condemnable conduct.(PTI)
J&K govt reminds officers of decorum, issues guidelines
The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday issued guidelines to officers to observe decorum at all levels of administration and ensure official interactions are conducted with due courtesy, restraint, dignity, and mutual respect.
The government issued a circular with these instructions a day after senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan courted controversy after he allegedly used abusive language against JKAS woman officer Beenish Wani and threatened to recommend her dismissal from service.
The videos of the heated argument, which took place between Ranjan and Assistant Director Wani over the role of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) during a review meeting on Mission YUVA flooded social media.
On Friday, the government said that in terms of Rule 3 of the Jammu and Kashmir Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1971, read with the other service-specific provisions, all officers and officials are expected to maintain the highest standards of integrity, devotion to duty, discipline and conduct befitting a public servant.
Employees are further expected to maintain professionalism, courtesy and mutual respect in their interactions with seniors, colleagues, subordinate staff and the public, the circular issued by the General Administration Department said.
It said that in view of the foregoing, all employees are enjoined to ensure that official interactions are conducted with due courtesy, restraint, dignity and mutual respect.
“This shall be applicable equally to interactions between superior officers and their subordinates, between officers and officials of different ranks and between subordinate employees and their seniors. Seniority and supervisory authority shall be exercised with responsibility and fairness, while all officers and officials shall extend due regard to lawful directions, established procedures and the responsibilities attached to the offices,” the circular said.
