2 teachers, revenue official dismissed for ‘anti-national’ activities in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: J&K lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday ordered the dismissal of three government employees — an assistant professor, a schoolteacher and a naib tehsildar – after a panel constituted last week identified them as being involved in anti-national activities.

“The lieutenant governor is satisfied under sub-clause (c) of the proviso to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India that, in the interest of the security of the state, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry in the case of naib tehsildar Nazir Wani, assistant professor Dr Abdul Bari Naik and teacher Idrees Jan,” the commissioner and secretary of the general administration department said in an official statement.

The committee that recommended the dismissals is headed by the additional director general of CID and includes the inspector general of J&K Police. Its brief is to identify government employees who might be working against the state.

Bari had been detained under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act while teaching at Kulgam Degree College. He was transferred to a college at Udhampur in Jammu division after being released. Naib tehshildar Wani remains in detention for his alleged anti-national activities.

The third employee to be dismissed, schoolteacher Jan, was posted at Kralpora Government Middle School in North Kashmir’s Kupwara.

According to the dismissal order, lieutenant governor Sinha was convinced – “after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and on the basis of the information available” – that the activities of all three employees were “detrimental to the security and sovereignty of the country”. (TOI)