Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Arun Kumar Mehta’s sensational claim, that 2.5 lakh local residents had been recruited through illegal “back door entry” methods for government jobs in the erstwhile State of J&K, triggered sharp reactions from regional political parties on October 6.
Former J&K Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti asked Mr. Mehta to institute an inquiry and take actions against officers involved in such recruitments.
‘Launch a probe’
“If the Chief Secretary is so sure about back door entries in government departments, he should name those who have made those appointments. If this is so, then he is himself now heading those employees who have been appointed through [a] back door. They have every agency in their hand including Enforcement Directorate, National Investigation Agency, and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), they should launch a probe,” Ms. Mufti said.
The total strength of J&K government employees is around 4.5 lakh. Mr. Mehta’s claim would mean that 55.5% of these employees were “illegally appointed”.
“He [Mr. Mehta] should feel ashamed of himself. The CBI is inquiring about several secretaries and commissioner secretaries working under him. What is he doing there?” Ms. Mufti asked. The former CM also accused the present administration of the Union Territory of failing to carry out “a single fair selection of youths in the past four years”.
“None of the recruitments, whether of policemen and engineers, in the Jal Shakti or the Finance department, has been fair. Selection lists were stayed by the courts and a blacklisted company was engaged to make appointments. It has marred the future of the youth of J&K, who are into depression and drug addiction now,” Ms. Mufti said.
‘Identify appointees, with proof’
Sajad Lone’s Peoples Conference (PC) has also criticised Mr. Mehta for his remarks. “[I] want to ask this loud mouth CS if there were back door appointments done by previous governments, which he also was part of in different capacities, [he] should come out clean, and with proof, identify those back door appointees, if any,” senior PC leader Imran Ansari said.
Speaking at an official function in north Kashmir’s Kupwara on Thursday, Mr. Mehta had claimed that more than 2.5 lakh people had been recruited in the past through back door channels. “All of this has come to an end now,” the Chief Secretary said.
Mr. Mehta has served at different positions in J&K since 1988. Ever since the Centre ended J&K’s special status in 2019, several top bureaucrats have been openly critical of the political class of the Union Territory.
