Jammu, 17 October (H.S.): Even as the Government of Jammu and Kashmir today ordered a high-level inquiry into the alleged verbal abuse directed at a female JKAS officer by senior IAS officer Kumar Rajeev Ranjan during a meeting, leaders of various political parties and organizations have strongly condemned the use of abusive language against the woman bureaucrat and demanded stern action against the erring IAS officer.

A number of JKAS officers assembled at Bahu Plaza, near the office of Divisional Commissioner Jammu and held a protest demonstration against alleged misbehaviour by the senior IAS officer. They expressed serious concern over the incident and said that occupying a senior administrative position does not grant anyone the licence to insult colleagues, intimidate subordinates or misuse official authority.

National Conference President and three-time Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah has called for Rajeev Ranjan's expulsion from Jammu and Kashmir and said that if such an incident had happened during his time, when Jammu & Kashmir was a State, he would have put the officer back on the plane and sent him away.

The language he used was completely wrong; he should be completely 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, he said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar