Three more government employees, including a junior engineer and a teacher, were terminated from their services, on the basis of reports prepared by the security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) under the special provisions of Article 311, which does not require any departmental inquiry. Besides, 23 Jammu-based government teachers were removed on the allegation of providing certificates from unrecognised boards.
A J&K government spokesman said the sacked employees were “involved in anti-national activities”. “The activities of these employees had come to the adverse notice of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as they found them involved in action prejudicial to the interests of the State, such as involvement in terror-related activities and drug trafficking,” the spokesman said.
The employees terminated were identified as Manzoor Ahmad Itoo, a junior engineer with the Public Works Department, Bandipore; Syed Saleem Andrabi, an orderly in the Social Welfare Department, in Kupwara’s Handwara and Muhammad Aurif Sheikh, a teacher in Government Middle School, Pagihalla, Mahore, Reasi.
“Itoo had played an important role in mobilising people in support of the terrorists and also in motivating the youth to join terrorist ranks, which posed a serious threat to the security of the Indian State. Andrabi has been found involved in drug trafficking. Sheikh has been found involved in planting IEDs (improvised explosive devices) on the instructions of terrorists operating from Pakistan, causing loss of human lives and damage to public properties,” the spokesman said.
Dismissed under Article 311
A total of 47 government officials, including relatives of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudin and Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani, have been dismissed under special provisions of Article 311 of the Constitution of India. Article 311(2)(c) was introduced in J&K in 2021, two years after the Centre ended J&K’s special constitutional position. The special provisions of the Act do not require any inquiry to be constituted against the accused and the Lieutenant Governor could approve the termination on the basis of reports prepared by the security agencies.
“A committee was constituted to review the pending regularisation cases of RETs. The committee member in meeting held on February07-2023, observed that 23 ReTs of different districts of Jammu Division have acquired their qualification from the Boards which have not been granted equivalence by the J&K Board of School Education, Jammu as these boards have not been recognized by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE) in India,” it reads.
“Itoo had played an important role in mobilising people in support of the terrorists and also in motivating the youth to join terrorist ranks, which posed a serious threat to the security of the Indian State”SpokesmanJ&K Government
Published - February 26, 2023 10:47 pm IST
