Jammu: The J&K government on Tuesday dismissed a Deputy Superintendent Jail and the principal of Government Girls Higher Secondary School Anantnag from service by invoking Article 311 of the Constitution of India.
According to official sources, sacking orders were issued after the investigation clearly “established their terror links.”
Feroz Ahmad Lone, Deputy Superintendent, Jail and Javid Ahmad Shah, Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Bijbehara, Anantnag were dismissed through two separate GAD orders. The orders were issued on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor of J&K, citing sub-clause (c) of the proviso to clause (2) of the Article 311 of the Constitution of India.
Official sources maintained that the government invoked 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India to terminate their services after it was established that they were “actively working with the terrorist outfits.”
Their dismissal orders mentioned that the Lieutenant Governor was satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case(s) and on the basis of the information available that the activities of Deputy Superintendent, Jail Feroz Ahmad Lone, son of Abdul Gaffar Lone resident of Futlipora, Chrari Sharief, Budgam and Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Bijbehara, Anantnag Javid Ahmad Shah son of late Abdul Gani Shah resident of Eidgah, Bijbehara, Anantnag “are such as to warrant” their “dismissal from service.”
“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 these employees, the orders read, adding that “accordingly, the Lieutenant Governor hereby dismisses” them “from service, with immediate effect.”
Sub clause (c) of Article 311 provides that in the interest of the security of the state, it is not expedient to hold inquiry before the removal or dismissal of a civil servant, if the President or Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied.
Official sources, while sharing details of the dossiers prepared against Lone and Shah, maintained, “DySP Lone, appointed in 2012 during Omar Abdullah tenure, hatched criminal conspiracy with terror commanders to send youths illegally into Pakistan/PoK, so as to give them weapons training and later push them back into Kashmir as active terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen and indulge in acts of terrorism. He was working for Riyaz Naikoo, the killed HM terrorist.”
They stated the investigation revealed that two youth namely Danish Ghulam Lone of Braw Bandina, Litter of district Pulwama and Sohail Ahmad Bhat of Dogripora (Awantipora) Pulwama were recruited.
“They were asked by Riyaz Naikoo to meet his arrested associate and terrorist Ishaq Palla. Danish Ghulam Rasool and Sohail Ahmad Bhat 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 who after consulting Ishaq Palla misused his official position and assisted in issuance of pass in respect of both Danish and Sohail,” sources stated.
They maintained that Feroz Lone himself went to the reception area and brought both Danish and Sohail inside the Prison premises so that Ishaq Palla could meet them. “It was in this meeting that a criminal conspiracy was hatched to send Danish and Sohail to PoK for arms training to join terrorist ranks to wage war against the Union of India. Both were arrested before crossing over to Pakistan,” sources said.
They pointed out, “It is an open secret that the prisons in J&K were being used as a breeding ground for radicalization and even sensational assassinations and terror plots were hatched from jail before August 2019. The role of elements like Feroz Lone holding an important position to facilitate such activities is what had led to a complete breakdown of the prison system.”
With regard to Javid, the sources referring to the dossier said, he was first appointed as lecturer in 1989 during Dr Farooq Abdullah’s regime. Later he became the Principal Government Girls Higher Secondary School Bijbehara, Anantnag.
“He has been a hardcore terrorist supporter and ardent sympathizer of Hurriyat and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). He played a role of an advisor to Hurriyat cadre and JeI working in Bijbehara in 2016 during terrorist Burhan Wani agitation. As Principal of the government institution, he ensured that Hurriyat 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 sources referring to dossier stated.
They maintained that he had been “supporting terrorists and motivating the girl students to study Islamic studies in a distorted way with the sole objective to radicalize the girl students and fulfil his pro-JeI designs.”
With these dismissals, the government, since May this year has sacked over two dozen employees, including two sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin. Their services were terminated following recommendations by the committee set up by the J&K government to scrutinise “suspected individuals” in the administration. The employees hailed from different government departments including J&K Police, education, health, revenue, power.
On September 16, the J&K government had directed that those employees, whose conduct, would be found “unbecoming of a government servant” and would get an adverse report during their periodic verification of character and antecedents, might face “termination from services.”
On October 16, a Research Officer in Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre and a teacher (RReT) in GMS Kathawa, Doda were dismissed from the service invoking the same provisions.
Prior to it on September 22, the government had terminated the services of six employees for working against the “interests of security of state.”