Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): In a significant development, the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha led Jammu and Kashmir administration has terminated at least 57 government employees, including individuals holding various influential positions such as a college principal, professors, a Public Relations Officer of University of Kashmir, police personnel, and doctors from their positions over the past two years on allegations of involvement in anti-national activities.
Official data accessed by ETV Bharat reveal that among the dismissed employees, 21 were associated with the Education Department, comprising 13 school employees and eight university employees, including senior professors, lecturers, and principals. Additionally, from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, high-ranking officers, including deputy superintendents of police, were among the 11 individuals sacked. Furthermore, three senior doctors were among the six individuals dismissed in the Health Department.
Other departments seeing the dismissals include the Revenue Department, Public Works, Jal Shakti, Rural Development, Agriculture, Power Development, Forest, Prisons, Industries and Commerce, and Social Welfare departments. Notably, employees from institutions such as the Industrial Training Institute, Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre, J&K Bank, and the state cooperative bank also faced termination.
The decision to dismiss these employees was made by the designated Jammu and Kashmir committee, responsible for scrutinizing and recommending cases under Article 311 of the Constitution. This article pertains to the “dismissal, removal, or reduction in rank of persons employed in civil capacities under the Union or a state.” The dismissals were executed under Article 311(2)(c), which allows action without an inquiry, as it is deemed prejudicial to the security of the state.
Among those dismissed were two sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Syed Ahmad Shakeel, employed at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences in Srinagar, and Shahid Yousuf, posted at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in Jammu, were both accused of supporting militant activities, acting as overground workers, arranging weapons for militants, and facilitating terror funding. Notably, both had been previously arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with a terror funding case.
Meanwhile, sources indicate that a committee, formed in July 2020 under the former CID chief and current Director General of J&K Police, R.R. Swain, was tasked with scrutinizing inputs, records, and cognizable material against government employees, leading to the dismissals. Additionally, efforts are underway to identify employees involved with drug cartels, signaling a broader crackdown by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, sources said.
In a move to strengthen administrative measures, the administration has amended Article 226(2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations (CSR) to allow for the premature retirement of government employees in the public interest after completing 22 years of service or reaching 48 years of age.
Moreover, guidelines have been issued to government employees regarding the use of social media, warning against discussing or criticizing government policies on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, or any other online forums. Employees are strictly prohibited from engaging in any form of discussion or criticism of government policies on these platforms, signaling a tightening of regulations within the administrative framework of Jammu and Kashmir.
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