The Jammu and Kashmir administration has suspended five of its employees after their links with terrorist outfits including Hizbul Mujahideen, Jamaat e Islami and Islamic State were established. The services of five officers working in the J&K government were suspended in accordance with Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution of India after it was known that they were working as overground workers for the terrorist outfits.
The scrutinizing committee which acts as a watchdog for looking after security links recommended the termination of services of five officials including two police constables who earlier served as SPOs, a teacher, a computer operator and a nurse working with the state health department. The terminations have been made from different areas of the Union territory of J&K including Pulwama, Srinagar, Awantipora, Kulgam and Baramulla districts.
It appears that the terrorists were appointed in the administration with the help of separatists or due to links with the people of earlier dispensations. Among the sacked officials, names include Tawseef Ahmed Mir, Ghulam Hassan Parray, Arshid Ahmad Das, Shahid Hussain Rather and Sharafat Ali Khan.
Ghulam Hassan Parray
Parray, A computer operator from Srinagar was inducted into the J&K administration with the help of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. It has been reported that he played a pivotal role in popularising Islamic State in Jammu and Kashmir and spread his propaganda by inducting youths like Mughees Ahmed into the terror organisation. In 2009, he was booked by the J&K police for organising a violent protest in Parimpora.
Shahid Hussain Rather
Initially hired as a Special Police Officer in 2005, Shahid Hussain Rather was terminated from his services after his links with terrorists were exposed. In 2013, he was surprisingly promoted as a constable and started supplying army equipment to the terrorists in the valley. His associations with terrorism became public after the police confiscated hand grenades, Chinese pistols and drugs from him and his associates in Uri.
Tawseef Ahmed Mir
Tawseef Ahmed Mir is the second police constable who has been suspended from his duties over his links with terrorism in the valley. Tawseef’s father is a slain terrorist from the Al-Jihad outfit, which he joined in the later years. It is known that Mir supplied logistics to terror commanders from Al-Jihad in Shopian. He tried to assassinate two police officials in different attempts and also recruited young people for the terror outfit. Tawseef was suspended from his service in 2017 after an FIR was registered against him under the Public Safety Act.
Sharafat Ali Khan
Sharafat who was initially inducted as SPO in 1998, diverted to the health department. Khan involved himself in the circulation of fake Indian currency notes, a known means of terror funding in the valley. His activities were first exposed when he was arrested along with police constable Shahid in June 2021 in Baramulla.
Arshid Ahmed Das
Arshid Das worked as a teacher and worked for Jamaat-e-Islami in Awantipora. He was close to Hizbul Mujahideen and often supported terrorist activities in his role as a teacher. Das was involved in organising stone-pelting attacks on CRPF personnel in Awantipora and reportedly also collected funds for Jamaat-e-Islami and other terror organisations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has alerted the government of Jammu and Kashmir regarding mandatory Vigilance Clearance for government employees for obtaining passports in connection with instructions of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoP&T).
