Two cops among five more govt employees sacked for ‘terror links’
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday sacked police constable Tawseef Ahmed Mir, who has been accused of actively working for Hizbul Mujahideen and trying to kill two of his colleagues, and four more employees for alleged links with “terror groups”.
The Union Territory administration terminated the services of the employees following a recommendation of a designated committee constituted under Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution that allows dismissal without an inquiry in the interest of the security of the State.
The number of employees sacked using the special provisions has gone up to 34 since last year.
Under this provision, the sacked employees can only approach the High Court with their plea.
The committee comprising officials from police and state home department was constituted “to identify and weed out government employees who have terror links and are working as overground workers (OGW) for such outfits.”
According to the official order, “it has been learnt that Mir’s father was a terrorist of the Al-Jihad outfit and he was killed during an encounter in 1997.”
Mir subsequently joined the police force “but covertly started working for terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and over the years he became close to several of its terror commanders.”
He also allegedly “provided logistics to five terrorists in Shopian district and in June 2017, he along with terror associates tried to kill an SPO.”
He also allegedly tried to kill a police constable in Shopian.
Later on, he is alleged to have begun recruiting youths for the outfit and when his activities became known, an FIR under the Public Safety Act was filed against Tawseef at Shopian Police Station.
Although he was suspended from the service in July 2017, he was not dismissed.
“Considering him as a grave threat to national security, the government has decided to terminate him from service,” the order said.
Others who faced action are constable Shahid Hussain Rather, Gulam Hassan Parray (computer operator), Arshad Ahmed Dass (teacher) and Sharafat Ali Khan (orderly), it said.
Parray was an active member of the banned Jamat-e-Islami (JeI).
He was booked in 2009 by the police for organising a violent protest in Parimpora and it is alleged that “he was tasked by the separatist groups to motivate youth to join terror ranks”.
“When the banned Islamic State (IS) tried to create a disturbance in the union territory, Hassan covertly began to spread the propaganda and became the mouthpiece of so-called IS in Jammu and Kashmir,” it is alleged.
Arshid Ahmad, a teacher, from Awantipora of south Kashmir, was allegedly active in JeI activities. He had become close to Hizbul Mujahideen and supported its activities under the guise of a teacher.
“He had also organised a mob for stone pelting on CRPF personnel in Awantipora. It is learnt Ahmad is also involved in raising funds for JeI and other terror activities.”
The order said that police constable Shahid Hussain Rather, hailing from Baramulla of north Kashmir, was also dismissed under the provisions of the Constitution.
Rather, while working as a police constable, “took advantage of the cover and started transporting arms and ammunition for terrorists operating across the Kashmir valley”.
It is learnt that Shahid’s ties became public in June 2021 when he and two of his associates travelling in a swift car were intercepted in Uri and 10 hand grenades, two Chinese pistols and drugs were recovered from them.
He was arrested, and subsequent interrogation led to the arrest of seven more persons and the recovery of a large cache of arms and ammunition.
A nursing orderly of the Health department Sharafat Ali Khan from Kupwara in north Kashmir was also dismissed from the service.
Using the cover of a government employee, Khan began working for various “terror outfits” and even got involved in the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN).
During the arrest of an FICN cartel and in the subsequent investigation, his name surfaced for the first time. He figures in the FIR filed in Police Station Kupwara.
However, his “deep links to terror outfits” came to the fore when he was arrested along with police constable Shahid in June 2021 in Baramulla. He was terminated from the service on March 30, 2022.
Prominent among those dismissed from the service earlier were the two sons of Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and tainted Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Singh who was caught along with a “most-wanted terrorist” and two others along the Srinagar-Jammu national highway.
The sacking was done as the Lt Governor was satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the cases and based on the information available that the activities of these employees are such as to warrant their dismissal from service using provision of Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution.
The process of dismissal of employees began in April last year barely a week after the Union Territory administration constituted the committee that is empowered to investigate allegations of involvement in anti-state activities against government employees and recommend dismissal of those found involved.
No new rules for dismissal of J&K govt employees found ‘sympathetic’ to terror accused: Govt
The Jammu and Kashmir government has not notified any new rule under which government employees can be dismissed from service if they or their family members are found “sympathetic” to people accused of terror charges, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
However, the minister said, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has issued instructions about mandatory vigilance clearance for government employees for obtaining passports in accordance with the instructions of the central government’s Department of Personnel and Training.
“The government of Jammu and Kashmir has not notified any new rules in this regard,” he said, in a written reply.
Rai was replying to a question on whether the Jammu and Kashmir administration has notified new rules under which employees can be dismissed from service if they or their family members are found “sympathetic” to people accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Public Safety Act (PSA).
