Srinagar, October 16: The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) Association has called for a one-day pen-down strike to protest the alleged verbal abuse and public humiliation of a woman officer during an official departmental review meeting in Srinagar.
The decision follows an incident involving senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan and Beenish Wani, a 2015-batch JKAS officer serving as Assistant Director at the Employment and Counselling Centre in Ganderbal.
The controversy erupted after a video purportedly showing an altercation between the two officers during a virtual review meeting on Mission YUVA circulated on social media.
During the meeting, Ranjan allegedly used derogatory language against Wani while questioning the role of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) in implementing departmental work. He also reportedly threatened to suspend her and recommend her dismissal from service.
The JKAS fraternity has strongly condemned the incident, maintaining that administrative accountability and performance monitoring cannot justify abusive language, intimidation or conduct that undermines the dignity of a serving officer.
The association has demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident and the subsequent departmental clarification regarding the circulating video. It has also called for safeguards against workplace intimidation and assurances that no retaliatory action will be taken against the officer concerned.
Meanwhile, the Labour and Employment Department has expressed concern over the circulation of what it described as selectively edited and unverified video clips, stating that the complete recording of the meeting is available with the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The department said the meeting focused on reviewing performance across all 20 districts and reiterated that professional interactions must be guided by mutual respect, discipline and decorum.
The controversy has triggered wider debate over professional conduct, accountability and the treatment of officers within the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
