Srinagar: Two sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin were among 12 J&K government employees dismissed by the union territory administration Saturday for their alleged involvement in “supporting militant activities”, “working as over ground workers”, “arranging weapons for terrorists” and “terror funding”.
The other employees included an orderly at ITI, Kupwara, two teachers from Anantnag, three constables of Jammu and Kashmir Police, an orderly at the health department, two employees of the education department, and one inspector in the power department.
“The policemen were found to be involved in attacks on security personnel, providing crucial information to terrorists, arranging weapons for them. Other officials were found to be smuggling and transporting arms for the Hizbul Mujahideen, harbouring terrorists, helping Lashkar-e-Taiba, and facilitating terror funding,” a source in the J&K administration said.
According to sources in the administration, the decision was taken by the designated J&K committee responsible for scrutinising and recommending cases under Article 311 of the Constitution, which pertains to the “dismissal, removal or reduction in rank of persons employed in civil capacities under the Union or a state”. The officials have been dismissed, sources said, under Article 311 (2)(c), which allows action to be taken without an inquiry.
“The officials have been terminated in the interest of the nation and as per constitutional provision,” the source quoted above said.
J&K CID chief R.R. Swain, sources said, played a pivotal role in sealing the case.
‘Sons of Salahuddin raised terror money’
Syed Salahuddin has been designated a terrorist under the amended Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 2019, by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2020.
He is the Supreme commander of the Hizbul Mujahideen and chairman of the United Jihad Council (UJC), an umbrella organisation of groups working for Kashmir’s secession. Salahuddin is allegedly involved in raising funds and routing finances to India for terrorist activities by Hizbul cadres.
According to the source quoted above, Salahuddin’s sons Syed Ahmad Shakeel, working at the Srinagar-based Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, and Shahid Yousuf, posted at the Jammu-based Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology, were involved in terror funding.
The source said the National Investigation Agency (NIA), investigating a terror funding case, had tracked “funding trails of both the persons”. The men, the source added, have been found involved in “raising, receiving, collecting, and transferring funds through hawala transactions for terror activities of Hizbul Mujahideen”.
The two were arrested by the NIA — in 2017 and 2018 — for alleged terror funding and are currently in judicial custody.
The orderly from Kupwara, the source said, was working for the Lashkar-e-Taiba as an “over ground worker” and was providing information to terrorists about the movement of security forces.
“He was not just providing information to the terrorists about security forces but also abetting and harbouring terrorists to carry out activities,” the source said.
The name of this employee was not released.
The orderly at the health department, Naaz Mhammad Allaie, was accused of being an overground worker of the Hizbul Mujahideen.
“He even has a history of direct involvement in terrorist activities and also harboured two dreaded terrorists at his residence,” the source said.
Two teachers, both from Anantnag, were participating in, supporting and propagating the secessionist ideology of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the Dukhtaran-e-Millat (DeM), the source said.
The JeI, whose J&K chapter was banned by the Indian government in 2019, is suspected of having links with the Hizbul Mujahideen. The DeM, a women-led separatist group, is also banned.
Of the two constables, Abdul Rashid Shigan executed attacks on the security forces, the source said.
Besides these, two employees of the education department — Jabbar Ahmad Paray and Nisar Ahmad Tantray — were allegedly found to be actively involved in furthering “secessionist agenda by Pakistan and are Jamaat-e-Islami ideologists”.
Power department inspector Shaheen Ahmad Lone was allegedly found to be involved in smuggling and transporting of arms for the Hizbul Mujahideen.
“He was found traveling with two terrorists on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway carrying arms, ammunition and explosives in January last year,” the source said.
Also read: Top Hizbul Mujahideen commander killed in encounter with security forces in J&K’s Kupwara