Srinagar, Oct 16: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said 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.
"I've taken this up in the strongest possible terms with the Chief Secretary. Unfortunately as a UT control over IAS officers rests with Lok Bhavan but as CM I've instructed the CS to ensure the JKAS officer faces no retributive action," Omar said on X.
He said that had J&K been a state, the IAS officer seen abusing a young JKAS officer would have been attached to the General Administration Department pending an inquiry into his conduct.
"As a UT we expect the authorities with control over the IAS officers to set the right example & ensure abusive, threatening behaviour is not brushed under the carpet," he said.
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah expressed shock over an IAS officer’s use of abusive language against a woman KAS officer saying that such incidents are a consequence of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by centre on August 5, 2019.
Speaking to media persons after offering Friday prayers at Hazratbal, Abdullah said the language used by the officer was highly inappropriate and uncivilised.
He said that it is the responsibility of every officer to listen to public grievances and difficulties, rather than abuse people or subject them to humiliating treatment.
The NC president said officers and ministers alike are appointed to serve the people and alleviate their hardships.
He said he felt embarrassed after watching the video of the incident on social media, adding that the officer’s conduct had placed the entire administrative system and other officers in an unpleasant situation.
Abdullah said the IAS officer must be reprimanded and immediately sent out of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Had Jammu and Kashmir retained its statehood, the officer would not only have been attached immediately but would also have been sent out of Jammu and Kashmir within minutes,” he said.
He said that the situation unfolding today was a consequence of the 2019 decisions that stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood and reduced it to a Union Territory.
Former Chief Minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said the officer’s alleged conduct could not be tolerated and urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to take up the matter with the Centre and seek strict action.
“Such erratic and disdainful conduct cannot be tolerated,” the PDP president said in a post on X.
She also referred to allegations against Ranjan concerning the issuance of illegal gun licences.
Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Tariq Karra wrote to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, urging him to order a fair and time-bound inquiry into the incident.
Karra said the video circulating publicly had raised serious concerns about the language allegedly used by a senior officer towards a woman colleague and reports that action had been threatened against her.
He also called for scrutiny of the officer’s alleged remarks concerning the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission (JKPSC), saying the credibility of the constitutional body must be protected.
The Congress leader urged the administration to examine the complete recording and determine whether any service rules or standards of conduct had been violated. He said appropriate action should follow if the allegations were substantiated, regardless of the officer’s position.
Karra also stressed that Beenish must be protected from any form of victimisation or retaliatory action, adding that decisions affecting her service should be taken strictly on merit and in accordance with the rules.
The JKAS fraternity has also sought an impartial inquiry into the incident, which has brought the conduct of senior officials and workplace dignity in the administration under scrutiny.