Policeman among 3 govt employees sacked by J&K LG for terror links
With the second such termination orders by lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha after chief minister Omar Abdullah took charge in October last year, the services of 69 J&K government employees have been terminated since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Jammu and Kashmir lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday sacked three government employees, including a police constable, for their terror links. With this, the services of 69 J&K government employees have been terminated since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
The employees whose services were terminated on Saturday were identified as constable Firdous Ahmed Bhat, government teacher Mohmad Ashraf Bhat and Nisar Ahmed Khan, an orderly in the J&K forest department.
On November 30 last year, Sinha had terminated the services of two government officials for their alleged involvement in anti-national activities and terror links. This is the second such termination since chief minister Omar Abdullah took charge in October last year. The fresh terminations on the orders of the lieutenant governor may raise questions over Abdullah’s authority in the government.
Cop who worked for terrorist outfits
Constable Firdous Ahmed Bhat was engaged as an SPO in 2005 and became constable in 2011. He was arrested in May 2024 and is facing terror charges and currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail. After being confirmed as a constable, Bhat was posted in the sensitive post of electronic surveillance unit in J&K Police. However, he started working for terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Bhat got exposed in May 2024 when two terrorists, Waseem Shah and Adnan Beigh, were arrested in Anantnag with a pistol and a hand-grenade. Investigation found that Bhat had tasked two other local terrorists of the LeT, Omas and Aquib, to provide arms and ammunition to Waseem and Adnan to carry out terror attacks on non-local civilians and tourists visiting Anantnag. During interrogation, Bhat revealed his sinister design.
“A sizeable quantity of arms, including pistols, ammunition, explosives and narcotics, was recovered from his residential quarter in the Police Housing Colony, Qamarwari, in Srinagar and a newly constructed house in Ganie Mohalla, Mattan, Anantnag. 3kg of charas was also recovered from his house which was dropped by LeT terrorist Sajid Jutt, alias Saifullah, through a drone in Samba a few days earlier. Bhat was an accomplice of Sajid Jutt and helped him operate a terrorist network from Pakistan. While serving in J&K Police, Bhat was working for Hizbul Mujahideen’s commander Khursheed Dar, LeT terrorist Hamza Bhai and Abu Zarar,” a source in the intelligence community said.
Bhat not only provided classified information about security forces movement, collection, storage and delivery of arms ammunition on the instruction of terrorists but also provided targets for killing and guided terror attacks.
Did not spare police colleagues
“In 2020, Bhat guided the LeT terrorists that led to the killing of J&K Police sub-inspector Ashraf Bhat. On May 18, 2024, Bhat gave the target and guided terrorists to attack tourists in which two tourists from Rajasthan were injured at Yanner, Pahalgam. He was also involved in radicalising and luring the youth to join terror ranks. Using his constable cover, Bhat was transporting arms, ammunition and explosives for terrorists,” sources in security agencies said.
Another official said that after Bhat became constable in 2011, he used to send terrorists to the residence of government officials and businessman with intent of blackmailing.
“He did not spare his colleagues in the police department. In one such instance, he sent Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists to the house of a sub-inspector and also made threatening calls on behalf of the LeT to the families of police officers. They were scared so one spoke out,” the official said.
Forest orderly a ‘venomous traitor’
Nisar Ahmed Khan joined the forest department in 1996 as a helper and is currently posted as an orderly at the forest range office, Verinag, Anantnag. According to top security officials, Khan is a “venomous traitor hiding in government ranks” and mole planted by terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen to destabilise the Indian state.
“While working as a government servant, he covertly joined the Hizbul Mujahideen and started collaborating with separatist forces. He traded his loyalty for bloodshed and duty for destruction,” the officials said.
Was behind killing of ex-minister
His links with the Hizbul Mujahideen first came to light in 2000 when a landmine blast at Chamaran in Anantnag district. The attack was executed by the Hizbul Mujahideen in which Ghulam Hasan Bhat, the then power minister of J&K was killed. Nasir Khan and another accused had provided logistical support to the terrorists to assassinate the then minister along with two police personnel. Nasir also helped in smuggling RDX used in the blast and coordinated the terror attack. He was arrested, chargesheeted but later acquitted in 2006 due to witnesses backtracking, intimidating environment inside and outside the courts.
“It was not ab honourable acquittal. Arms, ammunition and a wireless set seized from his house was not considered as evidence by the trial court and also witnesses and associates backtracked on their testimony. Those days, gun-wielding terrorists would roam freely in the villages and people were scared to speak out against Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. Even officers and witnesses were reluctant to testify against persons like Nasir in the court,” the security officials said.
Fuelled unrest after Burhan Wani killing; intimidated seniors
However, despite his acquittal in 2006, Nasir Khan continued his work for terror group. His role was once again exposed in 2016 and he played a central role during the Valley’s unrest following killing of HM terrorist Burhan Wani. “He mobilised mobs, incited violent protests and transformed the streets into terror battleground. He also mobilised youth for stone-pelting and arranged weapons to attack security forces. During that period, four FIRs were registered against him. After the killing of another HM terrorist Yawar Nisar Wagay in 2017, Nasir again played a key role in organising stone-pelting and attacks against security forces. He was detained under the Public Safety Act for eight months. However, no departmental action was taken against him because his senior officers were scared of him. Officers in the criminal justice system too were intimidated so he has continued his work as an asset of HM terror outfit and providing support to carry out attacks on civilians and police personnel,” the officials said.
Teacher turned terror accomplice
Government teacher Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, a resident of Reasi was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem Teacher in 2008. Rehbar-e-Taleem Teacher system, a temporary job, was introduced in 2000. He was regularised and became permanent teacher in June 2013.
A senior intelligence officer based in Jammu said while working as a teacher, Ashraf pledged allegiance to the Lashkar-e-Toiba and became an overground worker. He started attacking the same Indian state that was providing him salary and putting the food on his table. For many years, his activities were undetected and eventually came to light in 2022. He was arrested and is currently lodged in the district jail of Reasi.
LeT used him to radicalise youngsters
During the course of investigation, it was found that Ashraf Bhat’s handler was the most wanted LeT terrorist Mohd Qasim based in Pakistan. “The LeT found him to be useful because as a teacher he was best placed to radicalise youth and carry out terror activities under the cover of a respectable, noble profession. He helped the LeT to raise finances for terror activities and coordinated transport of arms, ammunition and explosives. As an active terror accomplice, Ashraf also used his cover to deliver threat letters to the targeted individuals identified by LeT handlers based in Pakistan. Even after he was arrested, he has no remorse for working with the terror outfit and in fact while he was lodged in jail, he managed to communicate with some of his handlers in Pakistan through his aides. It is also learnt that he is actively involved in radicalising inmates in Reasi jail,” sources in security agencies said.
“Nowhere in the world would you see such an example where government employees are biting the same hand that is feeding them. They are drawing salary from the Indian exchequer and their families are getting all the facilities provided by the Indian state. But, they are siding with terrorists and adversaries and killing innocent people,” the sources added.