Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have demanded action against IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan over alleged abusive remarks against KAS officer Beenish Wani.
A viral video purportedly shows Ranjan verbally abusing Wani during an official Mission YUVA meeting, triggering criticism across party lines.
National Conference, PDP and other leaders have condemned the incident and called for accountability from the senior bureaucrat.
Political parties across Jammu and Kashmir have demanded action against senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan after a video showing him verbally abusing a woman officer during an official virtual meeting went viral.
The ruling National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the BJP called for action against Ranjan, who is posted as administrative secretary in the Labour and Employment Department, reported Hindustan Times.
NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had asked Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to ensure accountability and protect the woman officer from any retaliation.
What Happened During The Meeting?
The incident took place during a review meeting on Mission YUVA, chaired by Ranjan. The discussion centred on the role of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in the programme.
Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer, serves as administrative secretary of the Labour and Employment Department. Beenish Wani is an assistant director at the Employment and Counselling Centre in Ganderbal.
In the video, Ranjan repeatedly interrupts Wani as she briefs the meeting on her office's work. When she attempts to explain her position, he calls her “bloody shit” and threatens to issue a suspension order against her immediately.
The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services officers' association subsequently expressed solidarity with Wani. The association said the incident was not isolated and alleged that Ranjan had a pattern of using “unparliamentary and demeaning language” in official settings.
Ranjan has not commented on the controversy since the video emerged.
Political Parties Demand Action
Sadiq said Abdullah had intervened but added that the elected government had limited powers because IAS officers in Jammu and Kashmir fall under the Lieutenant Governor's jurisdiction.
“Accountability must prevail, and no one should be allowed to misuse their position to intimidate or victimise others,” Sadiq said.
He argued that if Jammu and Kashmir had full statehood, Ranjan would have been transferred immediately and attached to the General Administration Department pending an inquiry.
“This is precisely why the fight for the restoration of full statehood is so important, and why those occupying influential positions continue to undermine it,” Sadiq said.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti also demanded action against Ranjan over his language during the meeting.
BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the remarks against a senior woman officer were unacceptable. He also referred to Ranjan's alleged involvement in an arms-licence case and called for action against him.
Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi shared the video on X, describing Ranjan as a bully and defending Wani for standing her ground during the exchange.
“That’s how a senior IAS officer in J&K — Administrative Secretary, Labour & Employment — dealt with a woman KAS officer who wouldn’t be shouted down in front of a room full of officers,” Mehdi wrote.
He accused Ranjan of threatening Wani's career because she wanted to finish speaking and linked the incident to the debate over the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood.
Mehdi also urged the Lieutenant Governor's office and the chief secretary to ensure that Wani did not face retaliation for the incident.
Ranjan's Earlier Cases
Ranjan has previously faced scrutiny in connection with alleged irregularities in the issuance of arms licences in Jammu and Kashmir.
The CBI arrested him in 2020 in a case involving arms licences allegedly issued on forged documents. He was subsequently suspended and reinstated in 2021. The case relates to his tenure as deputy commissioner of Kupwara district in 2015-16 and remains pending.
Since 2019, the CBI has been investigating alleged irregularities in the issuance of more than 2.78 lakh arms licences across several districts of Jammu and Kashmir between 2012 and 2016. The agency has alleged that licences were issued to ineligible applicants in exchange for bribes.
On February 17, 2025, the CBI registered a disproportionate-assets case against Ranjan and his family members and conducted searches at seven locations, including his office in Jammu and premises in Varanasi, Srinagar and Gurugram. The allegations in these cases remain subject to the legal process.
