Srinagar, Feb 15: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha terminated three government employees on Saturday for allegedly engaging in terror activities.
Those sacked include a police constable, a teacher, and an orderly in the forest department.
Sources said the Lieutenant Governor invoked Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India to terminate three employees after a painstaking investigation by law enforcement and intelligence agencies established their terror links.
The massive action just came a day after a security review meeting chaired by the Lieutenant Governor. In the meeting, the Lieutenant Governor directed the police and security agencies to intensify anti-terror operations to neutralize terrorists and the terror ecosystem operating in the shadows. The Lieutenant Governor had also said that those supporting and financing terrorism would have to pay a very heavy price.
“Every perpetrator and supporter of terrorism must pay the price. We need to equip ourselves with credible intelligence and act more effectively to neutralize the terrorists and ensure the security of citizens,” Lieutenant Governor Sinha had directed the senior police officials on February 13.
A senior security official said the government employees terminated by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha were serving the terrorist organizations and not the nation.
“They were betraying and sabotaging the same country which was feeding them. Look at the curious case of Firdous Ahmad Bhat, a police constable, who was orchestrating the terror attacks instead of protecting the lives of common citizens,” the official said.
Constable Firdous was engaged as SPO in 2005 and became a constable in 2011. He was arrested in May 2024 and is facing terror charges and is currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail. It is interesting to note that Firdous Bhat, after being confirmed as a constable, was posted in the sensitive position of the Electronic Surveillance Unit in the J&K Police. However, he started working for the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Firdous was exposed in May 2024 when two terrorists- Waseem Shah and Adnan Beigh- were arrested in Anantnag with a pistol and a hand grenade. Investigation revealed that Firdous Bhat had tasked two other local terrorists of LeT- Omas and Aquib- to provide arms and ammunition to Waseem and Adnan to carry out terror attacks on non-local civilians and tourists visiting Anantnag. During the interrogation, Firdous Bhat revealed his sinister design.
A sizable quantity of arms, including pistols, ammunition, explosives, and narcotics, was recovered from his residential quarter in Police Housing Colony, Qamarwari in Srinagar, and a newly constructed house in Ganie Mohalla, Mattan, Anantnag. 3 KG of Charas was also recovered from his residence, which was dropped by LeT terrorist Sajid Jutt alias Saifullah through a drone in Samba a few days earlier. The investigation further revealed that Firdous Bhat was a close associate of Sajid Jutt and helped him operate a large terrorist network from Pakistan. Firdous Bhat, while serving in J&K Police, was also working for Hizbul Mujahideen’s Commander Khursheed Dar, LeT terrorist Hamza Bhai, and Abu Zarar,” a source in the intelligence community revealed.
Firdous Bhat not only provided classified information about security forces’ movement, collection, storage, and delivery of arms ammunition on the instruction of terrorists but also provided targets for killing and guided terror attacks.
“ In 2020, Firdous Bhat guided the LeT terrorists, which led to the killing of J&K Police Sub-inspector Ashraf Bhat. On 18th May 2024, Firdous Bhat gave the target and guided the terrorists to attack tourists two tourists from Rajasthan were injured at Yanner, Pahalgam. He was also involved in radicalizing and luring the youth to join terror ranks. Using his police constable cover, Firdous Bhat was transporting arms, ammunition, and explosives for terrorists,” sources in the security agencies said.
Another sacked employee, Nisar Ahmad Khan, was working as an orderly in the Forest Department. He joined the forest department in 1996 as a helper and is currently posted as an orderly at the forest range office, Verinag, Anantnag. According to top security officials who have thoroughly investigated his terror links, Nisar Khan is a venomous traitor hiding within the govt ranks and a mole planted by the terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen to destabilize the Indian state.
“While working as a govt servant, he covertly joined Hizbul Mujahideen and started collaborating with separatist forces. He traded his loyalty for bloodshed and duty for destruction,” the officials said.
“He mobilized mobs, incited violent protests, and transformed the streets into terror battlegrounds. He also mobilized youth for stone pelting and arranged weapons to attack security forces. During that period, 4 FIRs were lodged against him. After the killing of another HM terrorist, Yawar Nisar Wagay, in 2017, Nasir once again played a key role in organizing stone pelting and attacks against security forces. He was detained under PSA for 8 months. However, no departmental action was taken against him because his senior officers were scared of him. Officers in the criminal justice system, too, were intimidated, so he has continued his work as an asset of HM terror outfit and providing support to carry out attacks on civilians and police personnel,” the officials said.
LG also sacked Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, who was working as a teacher in the Education Department. Bhat, a resident of Reasi, was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem Teacher in 2008. A very senior intelligence officer based in Jammu observed that while working as a teacher, Ashraf pledged allegiance to Lashkar-e-Toibaa and became an overground worker. He started attacking the same Indian state, which was providing him with a salary and putting food on his table. For many years, his activities were undetected and eventually came to light in 2022. and he was arrested and currently lodged in the district jail, Reasi.
During a painstaking investigation, it was revealed that Ashraf Bhat’s handler was the most wanted LeT terrorist, Mohd Qasim, who is based in Pakistan.
“LeT found him to be very useful because, as a teacher, Ashraf Bhat was best placed to radicalize youth and carry out terror activities under cover of a respectable, noble profession. He helped to raise finances for terror activities and coordinated the sport of arms, ammunition, and explosives. As an active terror associate,” sources said.