Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has sacked two government teachers for terror links.
The sacked employees have been identified as Ghulam Hussain and Majid Iqbal Dar, both teachers in the Education Department.
LG invoked Article 311 of the Constitution of India to sack the employees after a painstaking investigation clearly established that they were acting on behalf of terror outfits..
The action is part of Lieutenant Governor Sinha’s “zero-tolerance” policy against terrorism and a broader crackdown on the terror ecosystem within Jammu and Kashmir.
Investigations revealed that Ghulam Hussain was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teacher in 2004. He was regularised in 2009 and posted at Govt Primary School, Kalwa, Mahore, Reasi. According to sources, Ghulam Hussain was covertly working for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to carry out terrorist activities. As an Over Ground Worker (OGW), he was tasked to strengthen the terror network in Reasi and the surrounding areas.
“The evidence collected by the investigators from law enforcement and intelligence agencies has revealed that Ghulam Hussain was in touch with LeT terrorists Mohd Qasim and Ghulam Mustafa through encrypted messaging applications.
“Both were his handlers, and Ghulam Hussain was carrying out the terror activities as per their directions. He received terror funds via a local conduit, which he subsequently delivered to families of known terrorists as a means to support terrorism and also distributed money for the recruitment of terrorists and paid for logistics,” the Investigators said.
It has also been revealed that he was receiving regular parcels and financial assistance through various conduits. He was arrested in 2023. During the investigation, it came to light that Ghulam Hussain did not commit a terrorist act solely for the greed of money but also due to his sympathies towards terrorism, both as an ideology and a violent campaign. He came to be exposed as an OGW planted within the system in District Reasi to radicalise youth and recruit them in the terror fold.
“Ghulam Hussain displayed disloyalty, both towards the nation and towards the education department, by turning into an accomplice and an OGW of the LeT terror outfit. He was engaged in terrorist activities against the very nation that provided him with employment and fed his family. During investigations carried in the instant case, it was established that his links to the terrorist ecosystem has been through a network of other OGWs who have been operating at the behest of terrorist outfit LeT,” the investigators observed further adding that having a dangerous terror collaborator working as a teacher in the school is a huge threat to the young and impressionable minds and it also puts at risk the lives of hundreds of children.
Likewise, Majid Iqbal Dar was appointed as a Lab Assistant in 2009 in the School Education Department on compassionate grounds after the death of his father. He was later promoted to a teacher in 2019. Majid was working as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror outfit and became one of the key figures involved in radicalising youngsters in Rajouri and the surrounding region.
Investigation revealed that Majid Iqbal Dar was also involved in NarcoTerror and maintained a close link with LeT terrorist Mod Jabar. It has been learnt that Majid Iqbal Dar, as a reliable asset of LeT, was using the drug money to finance terror activities and radicalisation of gullible youth.
“His terror link was exposed in January 2023 when police recovered an IED planted near J&K Bank in Rajouri. During the investigation, police arrested three persons, including the government teacher, Majid Iqbal Dar. It was later revealed that Majid, LeT terrorists Jabar and Zohaib Shazad had planted the IED on the instruction of their LeT handler based in Pakistan, and they had also received money via a conduit,” the investigators revealed.
Sources said that after his detention, Majid Iqbal Dar has continued to display radical tendencies inside the prison. As per credible sources close to Majid, he remained deeply committed to the terrorist ideology.
“That Majid has been doing this for a long time and that too at the cost of the Government exchequer and has managed to evade the law for many years, is a double jeopardy against public interest. Majid’s damage value is humongous because he was working within the sensitive education department,” Sources within the law enforcement agencies said.
Recently, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had observed that the people from all sections of society must realise that those who provide ideological and financial support for terrorism, create false narratives, are dangerous to peace and development. His zero-tolerance policy is based on key pillars of anti-terror crackdown, swift against OGWs in administration & society, and a crackdown on
Narco-terrorism and inclusive development have ensured peace and economic revival. Lieutenant Governor Sinha had observed that peace can only be achieved by completely dismantling the terror ecosystem.
“War against terrorism is not over yet. Kinetic and non-Kinetic operations must continue. We must maintain the momentum and take stringent action against terrorism and its entire ecosystem,” the Lieutenant Governor had told the security and intelligence officials.