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IAS Officer's Outburst Against Female Colleague Sparks Outcry

An IAS officer in Jammu and Kashmir, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, was recorded shouting at junior officer Bilquis Wani during an online meeting, sparking widespread outrage. Ranjan, who serves as Secretary of Revenue and Labour and Employment, expressed displeasure over the National Rural Livelihoods Mission’s performance in Ganderbal and demanded a suspension order for Wani. The clip, which shows Ranjan using harsh language and instructing staff to draft a dismissal notice, quickly went viral on social media. Officers across the state joined a campaign in support of Wani, with Mantasha Binti Rashid condemning the incident as “hooligan” behavior and calling for professional standards. Former PDP leader Naeem Akhtar described the episode as evidence of a “master‑slave” dynamic in Kashmir and highlighted Ranjan’s prior CBI investigation over a gun‑licence scam. Ranjan, a 2010 batch officer, was booked by the CBI in 2025 for amassing assets beyond legal income, adding context to the controversy. The incident has prompted calls for accountability and a review of conduct protocols for senior officials in the region.

· The Hindu

The essential points

  1. 01IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan verbally abused junior officer Bilquis Wani during a virtual meeting.
  2. 02He demanded a suspension order for Wani, citing unsatisfactory performance of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission in Ganderbal.
  3. 03The viral clip prompted a statewide online campaign, with officers and political leaders condemning the abuse and calling for stricter conduct standards.
  4. 04Ranjan’s past CBI case over a gun‑licence scam and asset‑amassing allegations add context to the controversy.
The full brief

An IAS officer in Jammu and Kashmir, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, was recorded shouting at junior officer Bilquis Wani during an online meeting, sparking widespread outrage. Ranjan, who serves as Secretary of Revenue and Labour and Employment, expressed displeasure over the National Rural Livelihoods Mission’s performance in Ganderbal and demanded a suspension order for Wani. The clip, which shows Ranjan using harsh language and instructing staff to draft a dismissal notice, quickly went viral on social media.

Officers across the state joined a campaign in support of Wani, with Mantasha Binti Rashid condemning the incident as “hooligan” behavior and calling for professional standards. Former PDP leader Naeem Akhtar described the episode as evidence of a “master‑slave” dynamic in Kashmir and highlighted Ranjan’s prior CBI investigation over a gun‑licence scam. Ranjan, a 2010 batch officer, was booked by the CBI in 2025 for amassing assets beyond legal income, adding context to the controversy.

The incident has prompted calls for accountability and a review of conduct protocols for senior officials in the region.