Srinagar, Oct 16 (UNI) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has taken serious note of the alleged verbal abuse of a female Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer by a senior IAS officer during an official virtual meeting and written to the Chief Secretary to ensure that the officer faces no retribution.
National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq stressed that accountability must prevail and that no one should be allowed to misuse their position to intimidate or victimise others.
“The Hon’ble @CM_JnK @OmarAbdullah has taken serious note of the matter and written to the Chief Secretary to ensure that the JKAS officer faces no retribution.Accountability must prevail, and no one should be allowed to misuse their position to intimidate or victimise others,” Sadiq said on X.
The controversy erupted after a video purportedly showing Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer currently serving as Administrative Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, allegedly using abusive language against Beenish Wani, Assistant Director, Employment and Counselling, Ganderbal, during a Mission Youth Upliftment and Vibrant Advancement (YUVA) review meeting, went viral on social media.
In the purported video that has gone viral on social media, Ranjan is seen losing his temper during the virtual meeting and allegedly calling Wani a “bloody shit”, while asserting that he could “always talk to her like this”. The video shows the IAS officer directing officials in his chamber to prepare her suspension order immediately.
The Labour and Employment Department under Ranjan’s administrative control has disputed the authenticity of the viral video clip.
NC spokesman Sadiq argued that the incident also underscored the importance of restoring full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“Had J&K been a full state, Kumar Rajiv Ranjan would have been attached to the GAD pending a formal inquiry into his conduct,” Sadiq said, arguing that the restoration of statehood was essential to strengthening accountability in the administration.
He alleged that influential officials continued to undermine the demand for full statehood, reiterating that those in positions of authority must be held accountable for their conduct.
Meanwhile, a separate video clip of the same meeting involving an IAS officer also raised questions about the integrity of the J&K’s civil service recruitment process. The officer is purportedly heard making claims suggesting that some aspirants enter the service through what he described as a “setting” method.
