The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Saturday sacked six government employees for their alleged involvement in “anti-national activities”.
The orders for their removal, issued under Article 311(2)(C) of the Constitution, said that the lieutenant governor of the Union territory was satisfied that “in the interest of the security of the state, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry”.
Article 311(2) of the Constitution states that public servants cannot be removed from service without an inquiry and without first being given a reasonable opportunity to make their case.
However, sub-clause (C) of the provision states that these steps are not mandatory if the president of India or the governor of the Union territory is satisfied that an inquiry is not required in the interest of national security.
“Five constables from the Police Department and one teacher from the Education Department are sacked in terms of Article 311 of the Constitution of India for their deep involvement in anti-national activities,” the Jammu and Kashmir administration said.
Those dismissed on Saturday are Saif Din, a selection grade constable from Doda’s Shigani Bhallesa area; Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, a head constable from Kupwara’s Ibkoote Tangdar area; Khalid Hussain Shah, a selection grade constable from Kupwara; Rahmat Shah, a constable from Kupwara’s Karnah; Irshad Ahmad Chalkoo, a selection grade constable from Baramulla’s Silikote Uri and Nazam Din, a teacher in the education department from Poonch’s Kirni Haveli.
The termination orders issued by the territory’s general administration department state that the lieutenant governor was “satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the basis of information available” that their activities warranted dismissal from service.
They added that the employees’ alleged activities were found to be “thickly involved in activities prejudicial to the interests of the State” by law enforcement and intelligence agencies and accused them of “involvement in terror-related activities”.
“Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, Khalid Hussain Shah and Rahmat Shah, had established contacts with the Pakistan-based terrorists involved in smuggling of narcotics, weapons and money across the LoC to India,” a statement by the Jammu and Kashmir administration said.
The statement alleged that Chalkoo had built relationships with militants and had been working with the Laskhar-e-Taiba militant group.
“He was in close contact with various Kashmiri-origin terrorists based in PoJK [Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] through encrypted messaging applications and had received ammunition for further delivery to the terrorists,” the statement claimed.
“Being the resident of Uri, District Baramulla, he utilised his knowledge of the local terrain to establish contacts with terrorists based in PoJK,” the statement continued. “He used to assist terrorist groups, during infiltration, by providing logistics and transportation of their illegal arms and ammunition in the interior areas of Kashmir Valley.”
The statement claimed Nazam Din was “a highly motivated and committed drug peddler and an over ground worker of terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit”.
“He had received consignments of narcotics from across the LoC [Line of Control] for onward delivery to the drug peddlers even in Punjab,” it said.
The authorities have alleged that the teacher “smuggled drugs from Pakistan” and that the money generated through the illegal trade of these drugs “was used for fuelling unrest as well as financing the terrorism activities in the Kashmir Valley, as well as other parts of the country, being an important source in the narco-terror system”.
More than 60 government employees have been terminated by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha since Article 311 was amended in 2021, reported The Hindu.
The amended law states that no departmental inquiry other than a police report is needed to terminate a government employee from service.
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