NE NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, JULY 12
A political turmoil has hit Jammu and Kashmir after the government sacked 11 employees, including two sons of Hizbul Mujahadeen supreme commander Syed Salahuddin.
Out of the 11 employees dismissed from service, four are from Anantnag, three from Budgam, one each from Baramulla, Srinagar, Pulwama, and Kupwara. Of these, four were working in the education department, two in police, and one each in agriculture, skill development, power, SKIMS, and health department.
The designated committee for scrutinizing cases under Article 311(2) (c) of the Constitution of India has recommended the dismissal of 11 government employees. The sacked employees include two sons of Hizbul Mujahideen founder Syed Salahuddin. They include Syed Ahmad Shakeel and Shahid Yousuf. One of them is working in SKIMS and another in the agriculture department.
Sources said NIA had indicted them for raising, receiving, collecting, and transferring funds through the Hawala transaction for Hizbul Mujahideen.
Mehbooba Mufti, former J&K CM hits out at centre over the dismissal of 11 govt employees with alleged terror links.@TejinderSsodhi with the details. pic.twitter.com/NZcfwR6z0i
— News18 (@CNNnews18) July 11, 2021
Two teachers from the Anantnag district have been found involved in anti-national activities, including participating, supporting, and propagating the ideology of Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) Kashmir and Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM).
Naaz Mohammad Allaie, an orderly of the health department, was also sacked. Officials said he is an Over Ground Worker of HM and has a history of direct involvement in anti-national activities. Two employees of the education department have also been terminated. They have been identified as Jabbar Ahmad Paray and Nisar Ahmad Tantray.
Officials said Shaheen Ahmad Lone, an inspector of the power department, has been found involved in smuggling and transporting arms for the Hizbul Mujahideen.
The dismissal of 11 employees has stoked a major row, with National Conference (NC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) calling it “blind to justice” and “arbitrary” in nature.
“The measure is a prima facie case of arbitrariness, where a non-judicial entity is establishing the guilt of the accused party without giving the accused a fair chance to contest the charges leveled against him,” said National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar.
He said the thoughtless measure is also blind to the consequential difficulty, which the families of such dismissed employees will face due to the blocking of their income sources. “The doctrine of pleasure even snatches the reasonable opportunity to show cause against proposed action to be taken against the accused,” Dar said.
He said after decades, the employees are being shown the door regardless of their length of service and the resulting impact on their families. “Such arbitrary action has created a fear psychosis among the employees and impaired the work culture in government departments, he said.
GOI continues disempowering people of J&K in garb of pseudo nationalism by trampling the constitution that ought to be upheld.Abrupt dismissal of 11 gov employees on flimsy grounds is criminal.All policy decisions vis a vis J&K are taken with sole objective of punishing Kashmiris https://t.co/qgxk4BCdcb
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) July 11, 2021
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti alleged the dismissal of eleven government employees on flimsy grounds was ‘criminal,’ and the Centre continues disempowering the people under the garb of “pseudo nationalism.”
“GOI continues disempowering the people of J&K in the garb of pseudo nationalism by trampling the constitution that ought to be upheld. The abrupt dismissal of 11 government employees on flimsy grounds is criminal. All policy decisions vis a vis J&K are taken with the sole objective of punishing Kashmiris,” Mehbooba tweeted.
Earlier on May 3, Jammu and Kashmir government invoked Article 311 of the Constitution and sacked three government employees, including an assistant professor, a school teacher, and a naib-tehsildar, for alleged anti-national activities.
Naib-tehsildar Nazir Wani, assistant professor Dr. Abdul Bari Naik, and teacher Idrees Jan were dismissed from service weeks after the J&K government constituted a Special Task Force (STF) to “scrutinize cases of employees suspected of activities requiring action under Article 311 (2) (c)”.
“Lieutenant Governor is satisfied under sub-clause (c) of the proviso to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India that, in the interest of the security of the state, it is not expedient to hold an inquiry in the case of Idrees Jan, teacher, Government Middle School, Kralpora, Kupwara,” reads the order issued by Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, General Administration Department (GAD), in May.
