Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday dismissed two government teachers for their alleged active links with terrorist outfits, an action that attracted strong criticism from prominent political figures, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti.
The terminated employees were identified as Ghulam Hussain and Majid Iqbal Dar, who, officials claimed, were actively involved in supporting activities of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit.
The dismissals were carried out by invoking Article 311 of the Constitution, which allows for termination without a full inquiry. It can only be challenged in the high court.
The LG-led administration defended the move as part of its “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism and a broader crackdown on the “terror ecosystem” operating within the Union Territory.
With the latest action, the administration has now terminated the services of approximately 80 government employees over the past five years by invoking the special constitutional provision.
However, Abdullah swiftly condemned the method of dismissal, arguing that such actions should be reserved for the courts to ensure employees have an opportunity to present their case.
“I have always maintained that the termination should happen through the courts only. Everyone should get an opportunity to explain themselves,” Abdullah told reporters in Handwara in north Kashmir.
He added that invoking Article 311 of the Constitution “does not give them any opportunity to present their case” and often leads to employees being reinstated through the courts later, suggesting that terminating individuals “on mere suspicion… would be harmful for all”.
Criticising the move, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti charged that the dismissals fuel concerns of a “wider agenda to disempower Muslims especially Kashmiris”.
Mehbooba claimed the employees were “denied even the chance to prove their innocence”.
She said that Muslims in the region are facing marginalisation through “biased reservation policies” and are now enduring “wrongful dismissals with the judge, jury and executioner all on one side”.
Giving details of the terminated employees, the officials said Hussain, appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teacher in 2004, was regularised in 2009 and posted at the government Primary School, Kalwa, Mahore in Reasi.
According to the officials, Hussain was covertly working for LeT to carry out terrorist activity. As an overground worker (OGW), he was tasked to strengthen the terror network in Reasi and the surrounding areas and was arrested in 2023.
“The evidence collected by the investigators from law enforcement and intelligence agencies has revealed that Hussain was in touch with LeT terrorists Mohd Qasim and Ghulam Mustafa through encrypted messaging applications.
“Both were his handlers, and Ghulam Hussain was carrying out the terror activities as per their directions. He received terror funds via a local conduit, which he subsequently delivered to families of known terrorists as a means to support terrorism, and also distributed money for the recruitment of terrorists and paid for logistics,” an official said.
The officials said the investigations also revealed that he was receiving regular parcels and financial assistance through various conduits.
“Hussain did not commit terrorist acts solely for the greed of money but also due to his sympathies towards terrorism, both as an ideology and a violent campaign. He came to be exposed as an OGW planted within the system in Reasi to radicalise youth and recruit them in the terror fold,” the official said.
About Dar, the officials said he was appointed as a laboratory assistant in 2009 in the School Education Department on compassionate grounds after the death of his father and was later promoted to a teacher in 2019.
Dar was working as an OGW of LeT and became one of the key figures involved in radicalising youngsters in Rajouri and the surrounding region, they claimed.
They said the investigation has revealed that Dar was also involved in narco-terror and maintained a close link with LeT terrorist Mohd Jabar.
Dar, as a reliable asset of LeT, was using the drug money to finance terror activities and the radicalisation of gullible youth. His terror link was exposed in January 2023 when police recovered an IED planted near J&K Bank in Rajouri, the officials said.
During the investigation, the officials said the police arrested three persons, including Dar.
Subsequent to his detention, Dar continued to display radical tendencies inside the prison and remained deeply committed to the terrorist ideology, it was alleged.
