Srinagar, Oct 16: The Interim Body of the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) Association has called a one-day pen-down strike in protest against the alleged verbal abuse of a woman officer by a senior IAS officer during an official virtual meeting on October 14.
The association, also referred to as AJJSKA, has urged its members to participate in the protest, saying the incident concerns the dignity and self-respect of the entire administrative service fraternity.
In a communication to its members, the Interim Body said the protest was aimed at defending the “dignity, self-respect and institutional honour” of the service.
It called upon officers to stand united in solidarity with the woman officer, maintaining that an alleged attack on the dignity of one member of the service was a matter of concern for the entire fraternity.
The decision comes amid growing criticism of IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, a 2010-batch officer currently serving as Administrative Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, over his alleged remarks during the virtual meeting.
During the meeting, Ranjan allegedly used abusive language against Beenish Wani, a 2015-batch JKAS officer posted as Assistant Director, Employment, in Ganderbal.
“You are bloody shit. I can always talk to you like this… I am your boss,” Ranjan allegedly told Wani during the interaction.
The incident has triggered a controversy in Jammu and Kashmir, with political leaders calling for action against the senior bureaucrat.
The JKAS Association’s proposed pen-down strike is intended to express solidarity with the woman officer and assert the need to uphold professional dignity and mutual respect within the administrative services.
