Govt action against pro-militant employees continues
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 2: Going ahead with the drive to remove Government officers/officials linked to militancy from the services, the Jammu and Kashmir Government today sacked a Deputy Superintendent of Jails and one Principal of a Government Higher Secondary School.
The Government officials identified the terminated officials as Feroz Ahmad Lone, Deputy Superintendent of Jails in Prisons Department and Javid Ahmad Shah, Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School Bijbehara.
They have been terminated from the services for actively working with militant outfits, the officials said.
The Government has invoked Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India to sack the two employees after investigation as their links with the militants were clearly established.
DySP Jails Feroz Ahmed Lone, appointed in 2012 when National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was the Chief Minister heading National Conference-Congress coalition Government, hatched criminal conspiracy with militant commanders to send youths illegally into Pakistan/Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) for arms training.
“Lone was working for Riyaz Naikoo, a top commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit who has since been killed,” the officials pointed out.
Investigations by the Intelligence agencies revealed that two youth identified as Danish Ghulam Lone of Braw Bandina, Litter in Pulwama district and Sohail Ahmad Bhat of Dogripora, Awantipora were recruited and asked by Riyaz Naikoo to meet his arrested associate and militant Ishaq Palla.
Danish and Sohail reached Central Jail Srinagar and confirmed their arrival to Ishaq Palla. However, finding inadequate replies to their queries, the jail staff refused to give permission to Danish and Sohail and ordered them to move out of the jail premises. Coming to know about the development, Ishaq Palla approached Deputy Superintendent of Jail Feroz Lone.
Lone after consulting Ishaq Palla misused his official position and assisted in issuance of pass in respect of both Danish and Sohail. Lone himself went to the reception area and brought both Danish and Sohail inside the Prison premises so that Palla could meet them. It was in this meeting that a criminal conspiracy was hatched to send Danish and Sohail to PoJK for arms training to join militant ranks to wage war against Union of India. Both were arrested before crossing over to Pakistan.
“It is an open secret that Prisons in J&K were being used as a breeding ground for radicalizations and even sensational assassinations and terror plots were hatched from jail before August 2019. The role of elements like Feroz Lone holding important position to facilitate such activities has led to breakdown of the system,” the officials said while citing reasons for termination of Lone.
Javid Ahmad Shah, the Principal, was first appointed as Lecturer in 1989 and later became, Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School Bijbehara, Anantnag.
He has been a hardcore militant supporter and ardent sympathizer of Hurriyat Conference and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). He played a role of an Advisor to Hurriyat cadre and JeI working in Bijbehara in 2016 during Burhan Wani agitation.
“As Principal of the Government institution, he ensured that Hurriyat Conference hartal calendars were followed in letter and spirit not only in the Government School which he was heading but its subsidiary institutions too. Javid by misusing his official position rather openly, disallowed girl students of his institution to study and participate in physical education and curriculum, citing it against the fundamentals of Islam,” the officials said.
He has been supporting militants and motivating the girl students to study Islamic studies in a distorted way with the sole objective to radicalize the girl students and fulfill his pro-JeI designs, they added.
The Principal was appointed during Farooq Abdullah regime, according to the officials.
Earlier last month, the administration sacked Anees-ul-Islam, a grandson of pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani for allegedly aiding militant activities in the Union Territory.
Prominent among those dismissed from services earlier were the two sons of Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin and tainted Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Singh who was caught with a most wanted militant and two others along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
They were sacked when the Lt Governor was satisfied after considering facts and circumstances of the cases and the information available that the activities of these employees are such as to warrant their dismissal from service using provision of Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution.
Under this provision, the sacked employees can only approach the High Court with their plea.
The process of dismissal of employees began in April this year barely a week after the Union Territory administration constituted a Special Task Force (STF) that is empowered to investigate allegations of involvement in anti-state activities against Government employees and recommend dismissal of those found involved.
Meanwhile, NC leader Omar Abdullah denied that Lone was appointed by him.
“Lone was appointed in 2007–2008. His appointment was challenged in court and the court cleared his appointment in 2012. So actually my Government didn’t appoint him,” Omar said.
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