After the October 2024 elections, Jammu and Kashmir got its first elected government in years, led by Omar Abdullah’s JKNC-Congress team. They promised better days with honesty and fairness. But just a year later, government workers in the Valley, who used to keep quiet under central rule, are acting like they own the place. They’re behaving like kings, treating their departments like personal kingdoms, and their arrogance is through the roof. This attitude is turning public service into a free-for-all scam that spits in the face of people’s trust.
Here’s the weird part: The government brags about fighting corruption since 2019, the Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed 515 cases, catching 89 KAS officers and one IAS bigwig. But regular employees? They’re robbing people blind. In Anantnag and Kulgam, school clerks are the worst. These low-level workers, supposed to handle basic paperwork, don’t even show up, leaving schools in chaos empty buildings, broken desks, no learning. Why? They pay off JKNC political workers with thousands of rupees to avoid transfers or investigations. Locals say these guys are “looting with both hands,” taking salaries while selling favors.
Transfers, meant to keep things fair, have become a money-making racket. Under this government, job postings are sold like market goods, with coalition insiders reportedly taking a cut for “good” spots. This isn’t just sloppiness it’s organized greed. The Anti Corruption Bureau is too short-staffed, with over 360 empty posts, to dig into this mess. In Anantnag, a former education officer was caught extorting teachers to keep their names off firing lists, and the same game continues with political backing. Kulgam’s land officers got busted taking bribes for reports, but nothing changes.
The coalition’s promises of fighting corruption and giving power back to people feel like a cruel joke. Instead, they’ve created a system where workers act untouchable, even ignoring orders from Raj Bhavan. They’re also blocking projects in Jammu, making half the region feel left out. Social media bans on employees, barely enforced, seem like a weak attempt to silence critics, not fix anything.
This isn’t a mistake—it’s what happens when a politicized system gets cocky after winning elections. Omar Abdullah’s government needs to break these corrupt networks, beef up the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and stop the transfer scam. If they don’t, they’ll lose the trust people gave them. The Valley voted for workers, not wannabe kings. It’s time to remind these big shots: Your power’s on loan, not yours to keep.
