Senior IAS officer in Jammu and Kashmir Kumar Rajeev Ranjan has courted controversy after he allegedly used abusive language against a junior woman officer and threatened to recommend her dismissal from service.The heated argument, which came to light through a purported video, took place between Ranjan and Assistant Director Beenish Wani, a 2015-batch JKAS officer, during a review meeting on Mission YUVA.
Ranjan, a 2010-batch IAS officer posted as Administrative Secretary Labour and Employment in J&K government, repeatedly interrupted Wani, assistant director, employment and counselling centre Ganderbal, when she was briefing the meeting about the targets achieved by her office.
“Why do you need NRLM? If NRLM had to do this work, why would I give it to AD (Assistant Director)? Why would the CS (chief secretary) give it to me? He would give it to MD (Managing Director) NRLM,” he asked.
Wani, who was attending the meeting via video conferencing, tried to explain that NRLM was used as a helping agency.
However, Ranjan allegedly repeatedly shouted at her and asked her to “shut up”. He asked the officer if she would sit silent or not.
The junior officer said she needs to explain her position but the IAS officer asked her to stop talking. He also allegedly called her “bloody shit”.“I can always talk like that. I am your boss, stupid,” Ranjan said.
When the female officer said he cannot call her “shit”, Ranjan told another female officer present in his room to type a suspension order for Wani.“It is fine, you can suspend,” Wani said.
As Ranjan continued his verbal tirade against the junior officer, she went on to allegedly say “to hell with you”.
The IAS officer asked his subordinate to record the words mentioned by Wani in the suspension order.
“Record this and write to the GAD how she should be thrown out of the service,” he added.
Both Ranjan and Wani were not available for comment.
Ranjan is facing CBI probe into his role in the arms licence case while a disproportionate assets case was also registered against him and his family members last year.
Ranjan, who was earlier the deputy commissioner of Kupwara, is under the scanner in the agency’s probe into irregularities in the issuance of thousands of arms licences to non-residents in J&K.