Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has directed the Union Territory’s chief secretary to ensure that a junior JKAS officer faces no retaliatory action after a purported video of an online government meeting showed a senior IAS officer allegedly abusing and threatening her.
Abdullah said he had taken up the conduct of Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, administrative secretary in the Jammu and Kashmir government’s labour and employment department, with the chief secretary. The chief minister said the behaviour shown in the video was not consistent with the standards expected of a senior bureaucrat.
“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,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
He added that he had raised the matter “in the strongest possible terms” with the chief secretary. Abdullah also said that administrative control over IAS officers in the Union Territory rests with Lok Bhavan, but instructed the chief secretary to ensure that the junior officer, Beenish Wani, did not face “retributive action”.
The purported video relates to a review meeting involving Wani, who is posted as assistant director of employment in Ganderbal. During the meeting, Ranjan appears to question her about departmental performance and the failure to meet targets. Wani explains that she had written to the deputy commissioner and additional deputy commissioner after the district officer of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission said the targets could not be achieved and officials would not cooperate.
Ranjan is heard asking Wani to obtain the concerns in writing and questioning why she had not informed him directly. He also questions the role of the rural livelihoods mission in the department’s work. When Wani attempts to respond, the officer allegedly tells her to “shut up” and uses an abusive expression. He then tells her to leave and asks for an order suspending her to be issued, according to the video described in the report.
Wani told reporters that the incident took place during a review meeting on Wednesday and that she had raised the matter with higher authorities. The reported exchange has triggered criticism from political parties, including the ruling National Conference and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with demands for action against Ranjan.
The episode has also brought the administrative structure of Jammu and Kashmir into focus. Abdullah’s statement distinguishes between the elected government’s direction to protect the junior officer and the formal control over IAS officers in the Union Territory, which he said rests with Lok Bhavan. The chief minister’s immediate instruction to the chief secretary is centred on preventing retaliation while the matter remains under consideration by the authorities.
The purported video and the allegations contained in it have not been independently verified in the supplied report. The next steps will depend on the response of the chief secretary and the competent authorities responsible for examining the officer’s conduct and Wani’s complaint.
