JKAS fraternity, employees’ body seek probe into ‘abuse’ of woman officer by senior IAS officer
Suhail Khan
Srinagar, October 15: A purported video showing a senior IAS officer allegedly abusing a woman JKAS officer during an official review meeting has triggered demands for an impartial inquiry in Jammu and Kashmir, with the JKAS Fraternity and an employees’ organisation calling for accountability and safeguards against retaliatory action.
The controversy centres on an October 14 review meeting of Mission YUVA at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar, where Assistant Director Beenish Wani was subjected to verbal abuse by senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan. The video purportedly shows Ranjan telling Wani, “You are bl**dy shit” and “I am your boss, stupid”, and directing officials to prepare her suspension order and write to the General Administration Department (GAD) seeking her dismissal.
Ranjan, according to a local news agency, has said the footage may be “morphed or AI-generated”. The claims surrounding the video have not been independently established.
The JKAS Fraternity on Thursday condemned what it described as the alleged abuse and public humiliation of a serving officer. It urged the Lieutenant Governor, the Chief Secretary and the GAD to order an impartial inquiry into the incident.
While acknowledging the importance of administrative accountability and performance reviews, the fraternity said these could not be used to justify intimidation or abusive conduct.
“Seniority must command respect through conduct, not fear or intimidation. Authority is a responsibility and not a licence to humiliate,” a senior JKAS officer said.
The fraternity also called for an independent technical examination of the video, saying the affected officer and other officials present during the virtual meeting had affirmed its authenticity. It argued that the reported leave status of an officer could not, by itself, disprove the authenticity of a recorded meeting.
It further sought assurances that Wani would not face retaliatory action and called for scrutiny of both the alleged incident and the subsequent departmental clarification.
The Jammu and Kashmir Employees Joint Action Committee (J&K EJAC) also condemned the alleged use of abusive language and demanded a time-bound and impartial inquiry.
EJAC spokesperson Mir Bashir Ahmad said the organisation’s president, Wajahat Hussain Durrani, had called for appropriate action against anyone found guilty.
According to the organisation, Durrani said such conduct, if established, would be inconsistent with the dignity and decorum expected of public servants. He stressed that differences of opinion must be expressed professionally and that every government employee deserved respect, irrespective of rank or position.
The meeting was convened to review the implementation of Mission YUVA, a government initiative focused on employment and entrepreneurship.
According to the purported footage, the confrontation began when Wani referred to the role of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in implementing the programme and raised issues relating to coordination.
Ranjan questioned why the department needed assistance from another agency to meet its targets, maintaining that NRLM was a supporting agency rather than the principal authority responsible for implementation.
As Wani attempted to explain her department’s position, Ranjan repeatedly interrupted her and asked her to stop speaking. Wani objected, saying she was not being allowed to present her explanation.
The exchange escalated when Ranjan allegedly used abusive language. Wani objected to being called “shit” and said he could not speak to her in that manner.
Ranjan then directed officials to prepare a suspension order and record Wani’s remarks. He also asked them to write to the GAD seeking her dismissal, according to the footage.
During the meeting, Ranjan criticised her work, alleging that she had failed to deliver results, before returning to operational issues involving Bandipora and Baramulla.
He also referred to information from the Deputy Commissioner, Ganderbal, that Wani had been on leave since October 13. He shared a copy of her application seeking 10 days of earned leave on medical grounds, from October 13 to October 22. The application did not carry the approval of the competent authority.
Wani could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts through phone calls and WhatsApp messages.
The episode has also prompted questions about the treatment of women employees within the administrative hierarchy, particularly those working under senior officials.
Joint Director RDD Mantasha Binti Rashid extends support to fellow JKAS officer
In a social media post reacting to the incident, Joint Director, Rural Development Department (RDD), Mantasha Binti Rashid, wrote: “I stand in support of a fellow JKAS officer who is respectfully engaging with her boss in a meeting and trying to explain herself, whereas he is acting like a hooligan, as if engaging in a roadside brawl, and uses unparliamentary language with her.
“What happens in these meetings is often humiliating and demeaning. Senior officers need to know what is acceptable and where to draw the line, especially when dealing with local officers who often know much more about the matters on the ground.
“This official high-handedness cannot be accepted or tolerated. Perhaps a few, in order to stay in the good books of their bosses, take anything and everything, but anything that is undignified in any professional setup shall not be made a norm.
“Sadly, a lot of it is quietly being normalised by power-hungry seniors and spineless juniors.
“We work, but not at the cost of respect. You can extract work, but not by trampling others.
“#IStandWithBeenish,” she added.
Senior journalist Samaan Latief, reacting to the purported video on social media, questioned what the alleged exchange meant for women employees lower down the hierarchy.
“Can’t imagine what women employees lower down the hierarchy must be going through if a senior IAS officer can speak to a woman officer in such an abusive manner. It’s pathetic and utterly outrageous!” she wrote.
Several other social media users called for accountability, arguing that seniority should not place public servants beyond scrutiny.
The JKAS Fraternity said administrative discipline must be based on fairness, mutual respect and accountability. It urged the administration to ensure that the matter was examined transparently and that no retaliatory action was taken against the officer.
The EJAC, meanwhile, called on the government to establish the facts without delay and take action in accordance with the rules against anyone found guilty.
Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah also reacted to the incident. Taking to microblogging site X, he wrote:
“That is how a senior IAS officer in J&K — the Administrative Secretary, Labour and Employment — dealt with a woman KAS officer who would not be shouted down in front of a room full of officers.
“He raised his voice. She raised her dignity. He reached for the only weapon a bully in office has: her job.
“This is a grown man occupying a Secretary’s chair, threatening a woman’s career because she asked to be allowed to finish a sentence.
“She was composed. She was clear. She did not flinch. That is what dignity and self-respect look like.
“He is what a problem looks like.
“This is what the abrogation of Article 370 has brought upon us — an assault on dignity at every level. Even officers in the administration behave like conquerors.”
“LG Sinha, CS Atal Dulloo — if she is touched for holding her dignity, it will have consequences.”
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