Officials in Jammu and Kashmir announced on Saturday that 11 of their employees, including sons of Hizbul Mujahideen head Syed Salahuddin, had been fired for allegedly acting as over ground workers (OWGs) for terrorists. The dismissed employees are from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the education, agriculture, skill development, power and health departments, as well as the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), officials further said.
Among those sacked, Syed Ahmed Shakeel and Shahid Yousuf, are Salahuddin’s sons. While one was employed with the SKIMS, the other was working for the education department. Explaining their termination, officials said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) tracked terror funding trails of the duo, and found them involved in raising, recovering, collecting and transferring funds through non-banking transactions for terror activities of their father’s organisation.
Of those dismissed from service, four are from Anantnag, three from Budgam, and one each from Baramulla, Srinagar, Kupwara and Pulwama. Their dismissal took place under Article 11 of the Constitution, under which no inquiry is required, and those sacked can only approach a high court to seek relief.
Officials explained how action was recommended against those sacked from service. “The designated committee in the Union territory, which scrutinises such cases, in its third and fourth meeting, recommended the dismissal of three and eight employees, respectively, from government service,” they explained, adding that of those recommended for dismissal in the third meeting, one was allegedly an OGW for the Lashkar-e-Taiba while the other two were found involved in “anti-national” activities.
From the eight employees recommended for dismissal in the fourth meeting, officials said, two were constables in the Jammu and Kashmir Police, and allegedly provided inside information and logistical support to the terrorists.
