11 J-K govt workers, including Hizb chief's sons, sacked for terror links

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has sacked 11 of its employees, including sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and two from the police department, for allegedly working as over ground workers for terrorist organisations, officials said on Saturday.

The 11 employees, who have been dismissed, are from the Jammu Kashmir Police, the education, agriculture, skill development, power and health departments, and the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS).

Among the employees, four are from Anantnag, three from Budgam, and one each from Baramulla, Srinagar, Pulwama and Kupwara districts, the officials said.

These employees were dismissed under Article 311 of the Indian Constitution under which no inquiry is held and dismissed employees can only approach a high court for relief.

The officials said that the designated committee in Jammu and Kashmir for scrutinising such cases, in its second and fourth meeting, recommended dismissal of three and eight employees, respectively, from government service.

Syed Ahmad Shakeel and Shahid Yousuf, who are sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief and one of the most wanted terrorists, Salahuddin, were also dismissed from service for allegedly being involved in terror funding, the officials said.

One of them was working with SKIMS and the other, was in the education department, they said.

The National Investigation Agency has tracked terror funding trails of both the persons. They were involved in raising, receiving, collecting and transferring funds through Hawala (non-banking) transactions for terror activities of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen, the officials said.

The three officials recommended for dismissal in the second meeting of the committee, included an orderly of the ITI in Kupwara, who was an over ground worker (OGW) of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, they said.

He was providing information to terrorists about the movement of security forces, and abetting and harbouring terrorists to carry out activities in a clandestine manner, the officials said.

Besides him, there were two teachers from Anantnag in South Kashmir who were found involved in anti-national activities, including participating, supporting and propagating secessionist ideology of the Jamat-Islami (JeI) and Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), they said.

The eight government employees recommended for dismissal in the fourth meeting of the committee included two constables of the Jammu Kashmir Police who supported terrorism from within the police department and provided inside information to terrorists as also logistic support, the officials said.

Constable Abdul Rashid Shigan has himself executed attacks on security forces, they said.

Another government employee with terror links is Naaz Mhammad Allaie, an orderly of the health department. He is an OGW of the Hizbul Mujahideen and has a history of direct involvement in terrorist activities, the officials said.

Two dreaded terrorists were harboured by him at his residence, they said.

Employees Jabbar Ahmad Paray and Nisar Ahmad Tantray of the education department, who terminated from service, were actively involved in furthering the secessionist agenda unleashed by terror-sponsors from Pakistan and are Jamat-e-Islami ideologists, the officials said.

Shaheen Ahmad Lone, an inspector of the power department has been found involved in smuggling and transporting of arms for the Hizbul Mujahideen, they said.

He was found travelling along with two terrorists on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and carrying arms, ammunition and explosives in January last year, the officials said.

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