SRINAGAR: A heated exchange between senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan and a woman Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer during an official review meeting has triggered a controversy in Jammu and Kashmir. The officer allegedly hurled abuses at his subordinate, ordering her immediate suspension and demanding her dismissal from service after she challenged his language.
The incident took place during a virtual review meeting of Mission YUVA, held on October 14 to assess the programme’s implementation, when Ranjan, the Administrative Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, exchanged heated words with Beenish Wani, Assistant Director, Employment and Counselling Centre, Ganderbal. The confrontation began during a discussion on the role of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in helping the department achieve its targets.
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.
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 with 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 didn’t flinch. That is what dignity and self respect looks like.
He is what a problem looks like.
This is what abrogation of Art 370 has brought upon us. An assault on dignity at every level. Even the officers in administration behave like conquerors.
@OfficeOfLGJandK @DullooAtal — if she is touched for holding her dignity, it will have consequences.— Office of Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi (@Office_ASRM) October 15, 2026
The controversy intensified after a video of the meeting circulated on social media. While Ranjan initially described the footage as possibly morphed or generated using artificial intelligence, he subsequently expressed regret over his remarks in comments to Times Now. If he had said something in the heat of the moment, he was sorry, he was quoted as saying. He also defended his conduct, alleging that Wani had continued provoking him despite repeated requests to remain silent.
The exchange began when Ranjan questioned why the department needed NRLM’s assistance to complete work assigned to its officers. He argued that the mission was only a supporting agency and that departmental officials should take responsibility for delivering the targets.
“Why do you need NRLM? Tell me. Apna kaam doosre ko de dete ho,” he said, questioning why the department was passing its work to another agency.
“If NRLM’s work had to be done, why would I give it to the Assistant Director? And why would the Chief Secretary have given this work to me? He would have given it to the Managing Director, NRLM,” he said, adding that NRLM was merely a helping tool and not the principal authority.
Wani attempted to explain the department’s position, saying NRLM was not the main authority but still needed to assist the officers in carrying out the work.
“Sir, NRLM is not the main authority, at least they need to help us,” she said, as she sought to explain the targets achieved by her department.
Ranjan repeatedly interrupted her and asked her to stop speaking.
“Shut up! Shut up! Just shut up!” he said.
Wani objected, telling him that he was not allowing her to speak and that she could not explain her position if he continued shouting at her.
“Don’t explain!” Ranjan replied.
He then asked her, “Madam, chup baithti ho ki nahi baithti ho?”, asking whether she would sit quietly or not.
“Main nahi baithungi chup, because I need to explain myself,” Wani responded.
The disagreement then turned personal, with Ranjan questioning how she dared to speak to him in that manner. Wani, in turn, challenged the way he was addressing her.
“You are bloody shit! I can always talk to you like this,” Ranjan said.
“No, you cannot call me shit,” Wani replied.
“I am your boss, stupid,” he said, as Wani reiterated that he could not use such language against her.
The confrontation then shifted from the discussion on work to disciplinary action. Ranjan turned to the officials present in his chamber and directed them to prepare Wani’s suspension order immediately.
“Ab Madam bahut ho gaya ab. Madam, abhi iska suspension abhi type hona chahiye, abhi!” he said, insisting that the order be prepared without delay.
Wani responded that she had no objection if he intended to suspend her.
“Get out! Get out!” Ranjan told her.
“To hell with you,” Wani replied.
Ranjan then instructed the officials to record her words in the proposed suspension order, repeatedly stressing that the remark had been made in the presence of other officers.
“Record this! Record this in the suspension order that she has said ‘To hell with you’! Record this, Madam, in her suspension letter,” he said.
“Abhi suspension banao aur record karo,” he added, directing officials to draft the order immediately and include her response.
He also asked that a letter be sent to the General Administration Department (GAD) seeking action against Wani and demanding her dismissal from service.
“Immediately suspend her and write to GAD that she should be thrown out of the service! Dismissed from the service!” he said.
“Civil services rules mein is se zyada kuch nahi ho sakta,” he added, claiming that nothing more severe than dismissal was possible under the civil services rules.
Ranjan continued to criticise Wani’s performance, accusing her of failing to deliver results and questioning her response during the meeting.
“Aur yeh mujhe aake aankhein dikhayengi!” he said, suggesting that she had the audacity to glare at him.
“Kaam aata khud nahi hai! Zero delivery hai!” he added, accusing her of not knowing the work and delivering no results.
He directed the Under Secretary to prepare the order and insisted that Wani’s remarks during the meeting be recorded prominently.
“Bilkul bold mein likha hona chahiye ki meeting ke andar kya bola hai,” he said, adding that the Chief Secretary should dismiss her from service. “The Chief Secretary has to dismiss her from service! Nothing less!” he said.
After the exchange, Ranjan resumed the review meeting and questioned officials from Bandipora and Baramulla about reported operational shortcomings. He also reiterated his objection to departmental officers depending on other agencies to complete their assigned work.
‘You are bloody shit, I can always talk to you like this’ – Rajeev Ranjan IAS officer abusing & threatening a lady KAS officer.
How dare you use such derogatory demeaning language? Take your god complex & dirty slurs elsewhere. We won’t tolerate this in Kashmir.
Since 2019 KAS & competent Kashmiri IAS officers are deliberately being elbowed out. There is a concerted effort to undermine local officers both in administration & police. Thereby making them subservient to outside officers lording over them.
@CM_JnK @manojsinha_ Decency demands this man be suspended immediately. You are quick to fire Kashmiri employees. Hope you use the same yardstick here
— Iltija Mufti (@IltijaMufti_) October 15, 2026
Wani confirmed the incident in comments to ETV Bharat, describing it as a “traumatising experience”. She said she had informed higher authorities and maintained that she had attended the meeting from home despite being on leave because of a fracture in her foot.
“I have informed higher authorities about this incident. I was on leave due to a fracture in my foot, but I attended the meeting since it was held virtually. He (Ranjan) said this is not JKPSC (J&K Public Service Commission) where you get appointed through setting. It was a traumatising experience,” she told the news organisation.
In comments to The Tribune, Wani said Ranjan had harassed her in the past as well and that her earlier complaints had not been heeded.
“This shouldn’t happen. An officer cannot be harassed like this. I have approached the higher authorities, and I have been assured that the matter would be looked into,” she said.
Wani also told reporters that the dignity of a woman should be protected and that no one could treat women officers in such a manner. Her remarks came as the video prompted demands for an inquiry into the incident and the conduct of the senior officer.
How DARE this IAS officer speak to a woman officer in this manner, dehumanizing and demeaning her?
Is this the standard an IAS officer is expected to uphold @IASassociation?
KAS officers are neither second class citizens nor vassals of the IAS officers.
Absolutely shameful! https://t.co/VZmxuZrg8F
— Junaid Azim Mattu (@Junaid_Mattu) October 15, 2026
Responding to the controversy, Ranjan told Kashmir Dot Com that he did not know whether the circulating footage was genuine, suggesting that it might have been “morphed or AI-generated”.
He subsequently adopted a more apologetic position in comments to NDTV, saying that if he had said something in the heat of the moment, he was sorry. However, he maintained that Wani had repeatedly provoked him despite his requests that she remain quiet.
“If we will not even question officers, then how will we hold review meetings and fix responsibility?” he asked, according to the newspaper.
He also questioned how the administrative hierarchy could function if a junior officer used language such as “to hell with you” while responding to a senior. He urged people to watch the complete recording of the meeting, which he said lasted about an hour, before reaching a conclusion based on the circulating clips.
The differing accounts have brought the authenticity and context of the video into focus, alongside questions about the conduct expected of senior officials during official proceedings.
The JKAS Fraternity has condemned the alleged verbal abuse, personal insults and public humiliation of Wani, saying that while it supports administrative accountability and performance monitoring, these cannot justify abusive language, intimidation or behaviour that undermines the dignity of a serving officer.
The fraternity has disputed the suggestion that the video was fabricated, maintaining that Wani and other officials who attended the virtual meeting could testify to its authenticity. It has called for an independent technical examination of the recording and an impartial inquiry into the incident.
The association has urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo and the General Administration Department to intervene, ensure that Wani is protected against possible retaliatory action, and initiate appropriate proceedings if the allegations are established. It has also demanded a public apology from Ranjan.
JKAS officer Mantasha Binti Rashid expressed solidarity with Wani in a social media post, warning against normalising humiliating behaviour in government workplaces.
“What happens in these meetings is often humiliating and demeaning,” Rashid wrote. “We work but not at the cost of respect,” she said, arguing that professional performance could not be demanded by trampling on an employee’s dignity.
The Jammu and Kashmir Employees Joint Action Committee has separately demanded a time-bound inquiry, saying that disagreements during official proceedings must be handled professionally and without compromising the dignity of government employees.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti has also demanded action against Ranjan, criticising the language allegedly used against Wani and calling for the officer’s suspension.
The Department of Labour and Employment has issued a clarification expressing concern over the circulation of what it described as unverified and selectively edited video clips from the meeting.
The department said mutual respect, discipline and professional decorum were essential in official interactions and that officers and officials were expected to maintain due respect towards their seniors while discharging their duties. It also stated that provocative remarks and inappropriate language had no place in professional administrative engagements.
Expressing regret over the developments surrounding the meeting, the department said the circulation of selectively edited clips without the complete context could create a misleading impression of the proceedings. It added that the matter would be taken to its logical conclusion in accordance with applicable rules and regulations.
The controversy has raised questions about workplace dignity, administrative hierarchy and accountability within the Jammu and Kashmir administration. While Ranjan has defended the need to question officers over their performance and has urged people to consider the full context of the meeting, Wani has described the episode as traumatising and said she has approached higher authorities.
An impartial inquiry and examination of the complete recording are now central to establishing the circumstances of the confrontation and determining whether any administrative or disciplinary action is warranted.
