A Government employee, by the very name, denoting one who is engaged in public service ,is of impeccable integrity and possessing high moral character and respecting and obeying the law of the land. Loyalty towards the Government, say the state, is the essential prerequisite of a Government employee. Even thinking about one in Government service getting salary and enjoying perks with public funds working against the interests of the state and the public to an extent of providing overt or covert support to those who were engaged in waging war against the state, seems impracticable hence fully unwarranted. Can such an employee be allowed to remain in Government service and not dismissed , in extreme cases, even without holding enquiries etc? In this connection , the Constitution of India has relevant clauses to be followed and which the Supreme Court of India too has held that the services of an employee can out- rightly be terminated , even without holding an enquiry under Article 311 (2) (b) of the Constitution of India in public interest. The UT Government, therefore, after fulfilling all the requirements and following relevant provisions has recently terminated the services of eleven of such employees who were found involved working against the public interest .
A proper procedure having been followed by the Government is that the Committee formed last year tasked to cleanse the administration of anti national elements has looked into such cases with relevant details of sufficient evidence and proof . In this connection, employees in question were found having sufficiently indulged in anti national activities of different hues . After holding series of meetings to scrutinise each case by the said Committee, on its recommendations, 11 Government employees of the UT Government have thus been terminated. Among the sacked employees are two sons of Pakistan based chairman of United Jihad Council an umbrella group of militant outfits operating in Kashmir and supremo of Hizbul Mujahideen Syed Salahudin. Involved in various crimes like terror funding , transferring funds through hawala transaction, furthering Pakistan’s agenda, ferrying weapons from one place to the other, providing shelter and other support to militants, providing vital information to terrorists about police action and the like, the services of these employees were finally terminated. With this, the total number of such employees sacked has risen to 17 including one DySP and a Magistrate 1st Class and a College teacher.
Not that these employees were not under the radar and the surveillance of the security forces for the past few years and not that they had no inkling about such vigil on them but being dyed in the wool , they continued with their unwarranted activities and few of them were arrested too and now stand out from the Government service. Could their gaining entry into the Government service be linked to the strategy of indulging in anti national activities under the cover of and perhaps getting the benefit of doubt being in Government service. That is amply proved by the twin sons of the Hizbul supremo who have, beyond any doubt, been involved in raising, receiving, collecting and transferring funds through hawala transactions to keep lubricated the wheels of militancy in Kashmir valley. Likewise, the traitorous attitude of two constables of Jammu and Kashmir Police were found supporting militancy from within the Police Department and providing inside information to the militants . They were found even providing logistic support to terrorists and their plans. One of the constables who was working for a terror outfit was behind 13 militant strikes in Srinagar. It was he who was involved in the killing of a retired DySP, a Police Inspector and a Sub-Inspector as also a political activist.
While the matter does not end here as the exercise to cleanse the administration of anti -national elements and those involved in militant activities is a continuous process and which should rather be in a pace track manner, the main question remains as to how persons of dubious character , suspicious credentials and doubtful integrity manage to get recruited in Government service.