J&K CM demands action as IAS officer sparks outrage after abusing woman colleague

Omar Abdullah takes strong exception to Kumar Rajeev Ranjan’s conduct during a virtual meeting, highlighting statehood limitations as JKAS officers announce a day-long pen-down strike.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has strongly condemned the conduct of senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan following a controversial online meeting, stating that his behaviour was not in keeping with the standards expected of a senior civil servant.

A leaked video of a virtual administrative review meeting in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered outrage after senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan hurled abuses at a woman subordinate, Beenish Wani, and threatened to have her suspended and dismissed from service.

The incident occurred during a virtual review meeting on ‘Mission YUVA’. Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer currently serving as administrative secretary of the labour and employment department, reportedly used abusive language toward assistant director (employment and counselling centre, Ganderbal) Beenish Wani. According to a video of the interaction circulating on social media, Ranjan repeatedly interrupted Wani, referred to her using demeaning language, and threatened to recommend her dismissal when she attempted to explain her office’s targets.

Writing on X, Abdullah confirmed he had raised the issue with the chief secretary. “I’ve seen the video of the online government meeting that is circulating on social media. Prima facie the conduct of the senior officer was not in keeping with the standards expected of a senior IAS officer & the subsequent threats issued to a junior JKAS officer only make matters worse. I’ve taken this up in the strongest possible terms with the Chief Secretary. Unfortunately as a UT control over IAS officers rests with Lok Bhavan but as CM I’ve instructed the CS to ensure the JKAS officer faces no retributive action,” he said.

A senior official confirmed that lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha is aware of the incident and stated that action will follow.

Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti urged the chief minister to demand strict action from the central government, referencing past allegations against the officer. MP Srinagar Aga Ruhullah Mehdi and BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur also publicly condemned the officer’s behaviour and called for accountability.

The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) fraternity announced a day-long pen-down strike in protest. While emphasising its commitment to performance monitoring and accountability, the association stated that no authority can justify abusive language or intimidation. The fraternity alleged that this was not an isolated incident and pointed to a recurring pattern of unparliamentary conduct by the officer.

In crosshairs of controversy

Ranjan has previously faced administrative scrutiny:

2020: Suspended by the J&K government following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with an illegal arms licensing case involving alleged forged documents.

2021: Reinstated to service.

2025: Subjected to CBI searches during an investigation into alleged disproportionate assets.

Prior to his current role as administrative secretary of labour and employment, Ranjan served as deputy commissioner of Kupwara (2015–16), during which period similar complaints regarding his conduct were reported.