Srinagar: The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha on Saturday terminated services of three more government employees including a policeman for their alleged involvement in the anti-national activities.
The three employees have been identified as Firdous Ahmad Bhat, a police constable, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, a teacher in the school education department and Nisar Ahmad Khan, an orderly in the forest department. The officials claim that the trio had militant links and are currently lodged in separate jails for different cases.
The orders issued by the administration stated that Lieutenant Governor of J&K Manoj Sinha was satisfied that after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and on the basis of the information available that their activities are such as to warrant their dismissal from service under Article 311 (2) (c) as the activities of these employees warrant their dismissal from services, without any enquiry.
As many as 75 government employees’ services have been terminated after the J&K administration in 2021 constituted a Task Force, to scrutinise government employees suspected of activities requiring action under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution. This provision states that retention of a person in public service, if prejudicial to the security of the state, can be terminated without recourse to normal inquiry. This law was extended to J&K after abrogation of its special status on August 5, 2019.
On the termination of employees, J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah told reporters that the employees who have been terminated for alleged militant links should be listened to as well. “If there is evidence against them and they could not prove their innocence when given a chance then the action is fine…if the decision is taken without listening to them then the law says everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” Abdullah told reporters. “Everyone gets a chance to speak in his defence in the court of law and here also they should be heard at least,” said Abdullah, on the sidelines of a function in Jammu.
Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that termination of three more state employees in such an authoritarian manner is highly condemnable. “Do the rulers want to remove all Kashmiris slowly and steadily from government services and render them jobless? It is the duty of the elected representatives to take up this issue urgently with the concerned as they have committed in their manifesto, and stop this harassment,” said Mirwaiz.
Former chief minister of J&K Mehbooba Mufti said that arbitrary and summary dismissals of government employees has become a daily occurrence since 2019 and surprisingly it continues unabated despite an elected government in power. “Elected government had promised to put an end to such practices once in office. People had pinned their hopes on the new government expecting at least some relief through vigorous advocacy of these issues with the LG,” said Mufti.
The J&K People’s Conference Chief Sajad Lone said that the termination of three employees is a stark reminder of continued disempowerment of people of J&K. “This will not work. More than the termination it is disdain and contempt of Delhi towards Kashmiris, that’s revealed through these actions. These actions have not worked in the past. They will not work in the future. It will only widen the gulf and make it even more vicious,” said Lone.
