On the day Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah completed two years in office, he remained busy tackling massive backlash, especially on social media, after a video of an official meeting chaired by an IAS officer, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, went viral, in which he is seen hurling abuses at a woman Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer.
Taking serious note of the alleged verbal abuse of a woman JKAS officer, Omar shot off a letter to the Chief Secretary, Atul Dullo, to ensure that she does not face retaliatory action. Omar reacted promptly as the Interim Body of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) Association called a one-day pen-down strike to protest the alleged humiliation of a woman officer during an official meeting on October 14.
Sharing his angst, Omar posted on X, "Had J&K been a state, the IAS officer seen abusing a young JKAS 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 the IAS officers to set the right example & ensure abusive, threatening behaviour is not brushed under the carpet", Omar wrote further.
The abusive behaviour of the IAS officer came to light after a purported video showing IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan hurling abuses at a woman Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer during an official meeting went viral on Thursday.
The incident reportedly took place during a review meeting of Mission YUVA, chaired by Ranjan, Administrative Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar.
The woman officer, Beenish Wani, a 2015-batch JKAS officer posted as Assistant Director at the Employment and Counselling Centre in Ganderbal, was attending the meeting virtually.
According to the video circulating on social media, the discussion turned ugly when Ranjan questioned Wani about the role of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in her department’s work.
As Beenish Wani attempted to explain her department’s position, Ranjan repeatedly interrupted her and asked her to stop speaking.
“Why do you need NRLM? If this is to be done by others, do you have to only write letters? And you will seek the medal. They are just a helping tool; they have never been the main authority,” Ranjan said, as per the video.
In response, Wani said that the NRLM was not the main authority but was needed to assist them. Her response appeared to anger Ranjan, who told her to “shut up” and stop speaking.
Wani asked him to allow her to explain her position and questioned why he was shouting at her. “Madam, will you keep quiet or not?” Ranjan shouted, adding, “How dare you talk to me like this?”
He then told the officer, “You are bloody shit. I can always talk to you like this.” Wani retorted that he could not call her “shit”. During the meeting, Ranjan also turned to another officer and asked for an order suspending Wani to be issued. “Get out,” he told Wani.
Wani responded, “To hell with you,” and left the meeting.
Wani later lodged a complaint of harassment with the senior government officials against Ranjan and sought action against him.
The JKAS fraternity condemned the alleged verbal abuse, personal insults and public humiliation of the woman officer. It said administrative accountability and performance monitoring could not justify abusive language, intimidation or misconduct by a supervisory authority.
It called for an independent technical examination of the footage and an impartial inquiry into both the incident and the department’s subsequent clarification.
The association urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and the General Administration Department to ensure that Wani faced no retaliatory action.
It also demanded a public apology from Ranjan and recommended disciplinary proceedings over his alleged conduct.
The Labour and Employment Department has said the clips circulating on social media are selectively edited and do not present the full context of the meeting. It has maintained that the complete recording is available with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The competing claims have intensified calls for the full recording to be examined to establish the circumstances surrounding the exchange.
Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer, has also faced CBI investigations in separate cases. These include an investigation into alleged irregularities in the issuance of arms licences in Jammu and Kashmir during 2012-2016 and a 2025 case concerning alleged assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
PDP Chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also demanded strict action against the IAS officer. She posted on X, "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."