J&K cop, teacher among 3 sacked over terror links
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday ordered the dismissal of three government employees, including a police constable, citing their involvement in terror activities, said officials.
The officials said the LG invoked Article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution to terminate the services of the three employees after an investigation by law enforcement and intelligence agencies clearly established their terror links. Sources said the dismissed employees had been identified as constable Firdous Ahmad Bhat, school Education Department teacher Mohammad Ashraf Bhat and Forest Department orderly Nisar Ahmad Khan.
Role in killing minister, SI
- Orderly Nisar Ahmad Khan had role in a 2000 blast that killed then Power Minister Ghulam Hasan Bhat
- Constable Firdous Ahmad Bhat found involved in an attack on a police party in 2020
- The attack had led to the killing of Sub-Inspector Ashraf Bhat
The LG’s decision, which has come despite an elected government being in place in the UT, has been criticised by Valley-based political parties. More than 70 government employees have been dismissed in the past few years over terror links by the LG under Article 311. Two employees were fired in November last year, a month after the National Conference came to power.
Reacting to the fresh dismissals, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said everyone was “innocent until anything was proven”. The officials said the dismissed policeman, who was arrested in May last year, was initially appointed as Special Police Officer in 2005 and subsequently promoted as constable in 2011.
Lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail, Bhat was posted at a sensitive position of Electronic Surveillance Unit in the J&K Police but started working for terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). However, he got exposed when two terrorists—Waseem Shah and Adnan Beigh—were arrested in Anantnag with a pistol and a hand grenade as they were planning to attack non-local civilians and tourists, the officials said.
During the interrogation, Bhat revealed his sinister design and led to the recovery of a sizable quantity of arms, including pistols, ammunition and explosives, from his residential quarter in Police Housing Colony in Srinagar and a newly constructed house in Mattan, Anantnag.
Using his police constable cover, he was transporting arms, ammunition and explosives for terrorists and investigation also revealed that he was working for Hizbul Mujahideen’s commander Khursheed Dar and LeT terrorist Hamza Bhai and Abu Zarar, besides Jutt. “He not only provided classified information about security forces movement, collection, storage and delivery of arms ammunition, but also guided terror attacks,” the officials said.
They said he was also found involved in an attack on a police party in 2020, which led to the killing of Sub-Inspector Ashraf Bhat, an attack on a group of tourists in Pahalgam on May 18 last year that left two persons injured.
The officials said he was also involved in radicalising and luring the youth to join terror ranks, besides using terrorists to blackmail government officials, including his colleagues and businessmen.
They said Ashraf Bhat, a resident of Reasi who was appointed as ‘Rehbar-e-Taleem’ teacher in 2008 and later regularised in June 2013, was affiliated with the LeT. “For many years, his activities were undetected but eventually came to light in 2022 and he was arrested and is currently lodged in Reasi jail,” the officials said.
During the course of investigation, it was revealed that Bhat’s handler was Mohd Qasim, most-wanted LeT terrorist who is based in Pakistan. “The LeT found him useful because as a teacher, Bhat was best placed to radicalise youth and carry out terror activities. He helped the LeT raise finances for terror activities and coordinated transport of arms, ammunition and explosives,” they said.
Khan, who joined the Forest Department in 1996 as a helper and is currently posted as an orderly at the forest range office in Verinag (Anantnag), was found working for Hizbul Mujahideen, the officials said. They said his links with the outfit first came to light in 2000 when a landmine blast in Anantnag killed the then Power Minister Ghulam Hasan Bhat and two policemen. “Khan and another accused had provided logistical support to the terrorists to carry out the attack. He also helped in smuggling RDX used in the blast,” the officials said, adding he was arrested, chargesheeted but later acquitted in 2006 after the “witnesses backtracked”.
Despite his acquittal, Khan continued his work for the terror group. His role was again exposed in 2016 when he played a central role during the Valley’s unrest following the killing of Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani, the officials said.
