BJP-PDP fallout: Union Cabinet transfers BVR Subrahmanyam to Jammu and Kashmir; IAS officer's exact role unclear

The central government has transferred BVR Subrahmanyam to Jammu and Kashmir, just hours after President Ram Nath Kovind approved the imposition of Governor’s Rule in the state. Subrahmanyam was transferred to Jammu and Kashmir upon the recommendations of the Appointment Committee of the Union Cabinet. According to media reports, the IAS officer of the 1987 cadre is likely to take up role of chief secretary in Jammu and Kashmir, however, there is no official release to indicate exactly what role he will be playing. The government in Srinagar collapsed on Tuesday after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew support to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), forcing chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to resign. Subrahmanyam, an IAS cadre officer considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his predecessor Manmohan Singh, was posted in Chhattisgarh before the transfer. The letter by the Appointments Committee was sent to several high ranking Union and state government employees, including the cabinet secretary, principal secretary to the prime minister, chief secretaries of the states of Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh, and over 20 others.