Jammu, October 17: Senior National Conference leader and Provincial President Jammu, Rattan Lal Gupta, strongly condemned the alleged use of abusive language by IAS officer Rajeev Ranjan against a woman JKAS officer during a virtual meeting, calling the reported incident unacceptable and unbecoming of a public servant holding a senior administrative position.
Gupta said that every government officer, irrespective of rank or designation, is expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, dignity and mutual respect while dealing with colleagues and the general public. Such alleged misconduct, if established, cannot be justified under any circumstances and undermines the dignity of public service.
He demanded the inquiry must be fair, impartial and transparent into the incident, free from any external influence, and asserted that appropriate action must be taken in accordance with the law if the allegations are substantiated.
Gupta urged the Lieutenant Governor to issue clear directions to IAS officers and other senior administrative officials to maintain decorum, treat subordinate officers with dignity and deal respectfully with the public, ensuring that such incidents do not recur.
Addressing a one-day convention of the Gujjar and Bakerwal Community, District Jammu Urban, at party headquarters Gandhi Nagar, Jammu held under the chairmanship of Ch. Nadeem, District President of the ST Cell and accompanied by Sheikh Bashir Ahmad Provincial Secretary Jammu Pardeep Bali, Provincial Secretary Jammu; Vijay Lochan, Chairman, SC Cell; Chander Mohan Sharma, District President Jammu Urban; Shama Akthar former corporator,Rakesh Singh Raka, Vice President, Central Zone; Ch. Salam Din; and Ch. Rafi, besides a large number of members and representatives of the Gujjar-Bakerwal community.
Gupta reiterated that the National Conference, under the leadership of Dr. Farooq Abdullah Hon’ble President, JKNC and former chief minister and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, remains committed to the welfare, social justice and inclusive development of the Gujjar-Bakerwal community.
He said that the Omar Abdullah-led government is focusing on improving basic facilities in tribal habitations and far-flung villages, including safe drinking water, electricity, healthcare, road connectivity and other essential civic amenities. He also highlighted the importance of Gujjar hostels in providing residential facilities to students from the community and enabling them to pursue their education.
Gupta emphasized that the upliftment of tribal communities, protection of their legitimate rights and creation of better educational and economic opportunities remain essential components of inclusive development. He assured the gathering that the National Conference would continue to raise the genuine concerns of the community at every appropriate forum.
Earlier, the participants wholeheartedly congratulated the National Conference leadership, including Dr. Farooq Abdullah Hon’ble President JKNC and former chief minister, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Member of Parliament Shammi Oberoi and Rattan Lal Gupta Provincial President Jammu for the assurance regarding the introduction of a bill in the upcoming session of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly concerning Gojri, Punjabi and Pahari languages to be made them official languages.
The participants expressed hope that the assurance would be translated into concrete action, strengthening the cultural identity, linguistic heritage and aspirations of the respective communities.
Sheikh Bashir Ahmad, Provincial Secretary, Jammu, said that the National Conference stands for secularism, socialism, democracy and brotherhood. He added that the party believes in taking all sections of society together and ensuring equal dignity, opportunity and justice for every community.
