Senior medico among four J&K employees terminated for ‘terror links’

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir administration led by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday ordered termination of four government employees, including president of a doctors association, under Article 311 for their alleged terror links.

Those terminated include Dr Nisar-ul Hassan, an Assistant professor (Medicine) at Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, Abdul Majeed Bhat, a constable in J&K Police, Farooq Ahmad Mir, a teacher in the education department and Abdul Saleem Rather, a laboratory bearer in the higher education department.

Dr Hassan was also president of Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK) and remained in limelight for long due to his controversial statements.

As per the orders, these employees have been terminated by invoking 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India, which empowers it to do so without an inquiry.

The activities of these employees had come to the adverse notice of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as they have been found involved in activities prejudicial to the interests of the security of the State, an official said.

Article 311 was extended to J&K after abrogation of its special status under Article 370 in August 2019. One of its provisions says that retention of a person in public service, if prejudicial to the security of the state, can be terminated without recourse to normal inquiry.

Sources said the dismissals were greenlit by a committee headed by J&K’s chief secretary Arun Kumar Mehta after the case was referred to it by a ‘Special Task Force’ (STF) chaired by J&K’s intelligence chief which was set up in April 2021.

Since 2021, nearly 60 government employees, including grandson of late Syed Ali Geelani, two sons of Pakistan-based Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudin and tainted deputy superintendent of J&K police, Davinder Singh, who was chargesheeted by the NIA for providing support to the Hizbul, have been sacked under the