Crackdown on govt employees: Jammu and Kashmir sacks son of Hizb chief Salahuddin, three others

Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, the wife of Bitta Karate who was arrested in terror-funding cases, was one of the four employees were dismissed from service under Article 311 of the Constitution.
Image for representational purpose only. ( Express Illustration)
Image for representational purpose only. ( Express Illustration)

SRINAGAR: Continuing its crackdown on government employees, the Lt Governor administration in Jammu and Kashmir has sacked four government employees including Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's son and arrested JKLF leader Farooq Ahmed Dar aka Bita Karate’s wife on charges of being involved in 'anti-national' activities.

All four employees were dismissed from service under Article 311 of the Constitution which enables the government to sack a person employed in civil capacities under Union or a State without an inquiry.

Syed Abdul Mueed, Manager, Information and Technology at Department of Industries and Commerce, is the son of Syed Salahuddin, the Pakistan-based chief of banned terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karate is currently in judicial custody in terror funding cases, officials said. His wife Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services officer, was posted in the Directorate of Rural Development.

The others dismissed are Dr Muheet Ahmad Bhat, a scientist who works in the Post-Graduate Department of Computer Science at the University of Kashmir; and Majid Hussain Qadiri, who is a senior assistant professor in the Department of Management Studies at the University of Kashmir

The activities of these employees had come to the adverse notice of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as they have been found involved in activities prejudicial to the interests of the security of the State, official sources claimed.

Reacting to the sacking of employees, Peoples Conference chairman and former minister Sajjad Gani Lone remarked that it was sad that 'kindship is used as justification to sack people.

“Every citizen of India has his or her own rights. A son cannot be held responsible for his father or wife for her husband or a father for his son", Lone said.

This simply is not good. In all humility I register my disagreement, he wrote in a tweet.

Over three dozen employees have been sacked by the government so far using Article 311 (c) of the constitution.

They were terminated on recommendations of the Special Task Force constituted by the J&K government.

In April last year, J&K government had formed a Special Task Force, which was created to scrutinise government employees suspected of activities requiring action under Article 311(2).

After the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcation of the J&K state by the Centre on August 5, 2019, the J&K government has gone tough against its employees and has also amended their service rules.

The J&K government has amended Article 226 (2) of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Service Regulations (CSR) for a provision to retire at any time any government servant in the public interest after he/she has completed 22 years of service or attained 48 years of age.

(With PTI inputs)

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