National Conference president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Farooq Abdullah, on Friday slammed IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan for using abusive language against a female officer during a virtual meeting. Abdullah demanded Ranjan's expulsion from Jammu and Kashmir and disciplinary action against him.

What Is The Matter?

A video that surfaced online showed a heated argument between senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan and JKAS officer Beenish Wani over the role of the National Rural Livelihood Mission during a review meeting on Mission YUVA on Thursday. The viral video drew severe reactions from the bureaucratic fraternity as well as the political circle. The JKAS fraternity has condemned the alleged abuse and public humiliation of Wani, the Assistant Director of the District Employment and Counselling Centre in Ganderbal, and demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident.

The three-time chief minister said that if such an incident had happened during his time when Jammu and Kashmir was a state, he would have put the officer back on the plane and sent him away.

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IAS Officer Should Be Reprimanded: Abdullah

"The language he used was completely wrong; he should be reprimanded. This shows that he lacks the decency and conduct an officer ought to possess. Officers are duty-bound to listen to the people, who only want to present their grievances," Abdullah said.

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"But screaming after that, saying 'get out, get out' -- that is entirely wrong. He should be expelled from Jammu and Kashmir. He is not one of those officers who should be here. If he remains an officer here, he will find the consequences very difficult," Abdullah said. He said whether one is an officer or a minister, they exist to serve the people.

"They are here to alleviate people's difficulties, not to insult or abuse them. His conduct was completely improper. I was deeply pained and ashamed when I saw him on social media today. He has put all civil servants in a spot; they should reprimand him. His behaviour was very unbecoming of an IAS officer," Abdullah said.

(With PTI inputs)