J&K administration sacks four of its staff for ‘anti-national activities’

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has terminated the services of four government employees, including a doctor, for alleged anti-national activities. This brings the total number of dismissals on similar grounds to 59 since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The dismissals have been made under Article 311 of the Constitution, which allows the government to terminate employees without an inquiry in the interest of state security. Political parties have criticized the administration for dismissing more employees than recruiting new ones.

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Wednesday terminated the services of four government employees, including a doctor, for alleged anti-national activities under Article 311 of the Constitution.

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With these terminations, the administration has dismissed 59 government employees on similar grounds under the aegis of the article since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, according to the administration.

According to four separate orders issued by the administration, those terminated from services were Dr Nisar-ul-Hassan, a resident of Achabal Sopore in Baramulla district who was an assistant professor (medicine) at SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, police constable Abdul Majeed Bhat of Kunan village in Kupwara district, Farooq Ahmad Mir, a resident of Kupwara who was teaching at a government school in Kupwara and Abdul Salam Rather from Yaripora in Kulgam, who worked as a laboratory assistant in the education department.

The termination order for Dr Hassan, who heads the Doctors Association of Kashmir, said: “The Lieutenant Governor is satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and on the basis of the information available, that the activities of Dr Nisar- ul-Hassan, Assistant Professor (Medicine) SHMS hospital Srinagar S/o Ghulam Hassan R/o Achabal, Sopore, Baramulla are such as to warrant his dismissal from service.”

It added: “The Lieutenant Governor is satisfied under sub-clause (c) of the proviso to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India that in the interest of the security of the State, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry in the case of Dr Nisar ul Hassan.”

Similar orders were issued against the remaining three government employees. HT has seen all the orders.

None of the sacked employees were ready to comment on the matter.

According to people aware of the developments, Dr Hassan is known for issuing statements against the government and was suspended earlier in 2014; he was reinstated in 2018. While constable Bhat has been named in a case related to narcotics, Mir is a former terrorist. Rather allegedly shares links with a foreign terrorist and is wanted in many cases, the people said.

Following the abrogation of Article 370 – that gave special status to J&K – in 2019 and its bifurcation into the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, the administration has sacked 59 government employees – a majority of them from the education and police departments – after recommendations from a designated committee mandated to scrutinise cases under Article 311(2) (c) of the Constitution. This provision gives the government the power to sack employees without an inquiry if “the President or the Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied that (it is) in the interest of the security of the State”.

The dismissals started after the government on April 21, 2021 set up a Special Task Force to identify and scrutinise the cases of employees involved in any case related to posing a “threat to the country’s security or anti-national activities”.

Political parties slammed the administration for “dismissing more employees than recruiting new ones”.

“J&K admin has created an abysmal record of sorts by dismissing more employees than recruiting new ones. Snatching the livelihood of Kashmiris on false trivial grounds isn’t just collective punishment. But also signifies the manner in which all Kashmiris are mistrusted & humiliated on a daily basis,” former J&K chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah told reporters in Budgam: “Whether allegations against the terminated employees are true or untrue, they should have been given due space to prove their innocence. Their sacking is unfortunate.”

“Terminating the services of government employees without giving them a chance to be heard is not only unfair but also a travesty of justice. Reiterating our call for creating employment opportunities rather than snatching livelihood,” PAGD spokesman and CPI (M) general secretary Yusuf Tarigami said.