A senior IAS officer in Jammu and Kashmir has become a hot topic of controversy. The incident of him not only misbehaving with a female superior officer during a virtual review meeting, but also using derogatory language and issuing suspension orders has come to light. The video of this conversation has gone viral on social media, and criticism is pouring in on him.

Going into details, IAS officer Kumar Rajiv Ranjan, Administrative Secretary, Department of Labour and Employment, conducted a review of the 'Mission Yuva' program on October 14. Assistant Director of Labour and Employment Banish Wani participated virtually in this meeting. The controversy started when the role of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) was being discussed in the program. Ranjan said that NRLM is only an auxiliary tool and does not have its own powers. When Banish Wani tried to explain that the targets had been met and that NRLM's cooperation was needed, Ranjan suddenly shouted at her in anger, "Shut up, don't talk."

However, when Banish tried to make his case without backing down, Ranjan became even more agitated. "How did you get the courage to talk to me?" he asked, using an insulting term. He immediately ordered a lower-level officer to prepare her suspension order. Moreover, he shouted "get out" at the female superior. To this, Banish replied just as boldly. "You suspend me," he clarified, and left the meeting saying "to hell with you."

A political uproar erupted after the video of the incident went viral on social media. Leaders of the National Conference (NC) and People's Democratic Party (PDP) strongly condemned Ranjan's behavior. They alleged that this was part of the growing tensions between local and non-local authorities after the abrogation of Article 370. Reacting to the incident, Banish Wani said that it was very unfortunate. On the other hand, when an attempt was made to seek an explanation, Ranjan's phone was switched off.

Meanwhile, Ranjan, an IAS officer of the 2010 batch, is no stranger to controversies. He was suspended in 2020 after he was arrested by the CBI in the arms license scam. Last year, the CBI registered a case against him and his family members in the disproportionate assets case. With the latest incident, he is once again in the news.