Jammu/Srinagar, Feb 15: On Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, terminated the employment of three government workers, including a prisoned policeman, due to their alleged connections to terrorism. This decision has prompted strong reactions, particularly from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has questioned the validity of the action.
The individuals dismissed include police constable Firdous Ahmad Bhat, teacher Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, and forest department orderly Nisar Ahmad Khan, the latter previously arrested for his involvement in the murder of a National Conference minister in 2000, according to officials.
The LG invoked Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution to end the employment of these individuals after investigations by law enforcement and intelligence agencies confirmed their links to terrorism. This brings the total number of employees dismissed by the LG in the Union Territory for such connections to over 70 in recent years.
This latest dismissals follow two recent security review meetings led by the LG in Srinagar and Jammu, where he urged security agencies to enhance anti-terrorism efforts to combat terrorist activities effectively.
In response to the dismissals—the second similar incident since the National Conference assumed power in October of the previous year—Chief Minister Abdullah expressed concerns over the legality of the dismissals, emphasizing that the law presumes an accused individual innocent until proven guilty. He stated, “If there is proof against them and they were given a chance to defend themselves but couldn’t… such actions taken without a hearing conflict with the principle that every accused person is innocent until proven guilty.” Abdullah made these remarks during a function in Katra, Reasi district.
He further highlighted that individuals must be granted the opportunity to present their case in court, stating, “There should be a court hearing, and if they fail to prove their innocence, appropriate action can be taken.”
Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti criticized the LG’s actions as “arbitrary,” noting that such swift dismissals have become routine since 2019, surprising given the existence of an elected government promising to eradicate such practices.
Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also condemned the termination of the three employees, questioning whether the government aimed to gradually eliminate Kashmiris from public service roles. He labeled the dismissals as a highly condemnable exercise of authority, urging the elected government to address the matter urgently.
Officials reported that sacked policeman Firdous Ahmad Bhat, arrested in May of the previous year, began his career in 2005 as a Special Police Officer, later becoming a constable in 2011. Currently imprisoned at Kot Bhalwal Jail, he was previously assigned to the sensitive Electronic Surveillance Unit in the J&K Police but was found to be plotting with the terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). His exposure came when two terrorists, Waseem Shah and Adnan Beigh, were apprehended in Anantnag while planning an attack against non-local civilians and tourists, which led to Firdous revealing critical information about his activities and assisting in the recovery of a significant cache of arms and explosives from his residences in Srinagar and Anantnag.
Additionally, three kilograms of charas, delivered via drone by a Pakistan-based LeT operative, were discovered at his home.
Teacher Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, from Reasi, was appointed as a ‘Rehbar-e-Taleem’ teacher in 2008 and subsequently confirmed in June 2013, but he has been linked to LeT activities. His involvement, previously overlooked, came to light in 2022, leading to his arrest and current imprisonment in Reasi district jail. Investigations revealed that his handler is a notorious LeT terrorist, Mohd Qasim, based in Pakistan.
The third terminated employee, Nisar Ahmad Khan, joined the forest department as a helper in 1996 and was serving as an orderly in Anantnag’s forest range office when he was found to have connections with Hizbul Mujahideen. His links to the group were initially identified back in 2000 following a landmine explosion that killed former power minister Ghulam Hasan Bhat and two police officers. (Agencies)
