Students, staff of GMC hospitals told to label lockers

Authorities in Kashmir have directed staff and students at the Government Medical College (GMC) and its associated hospitals, including SMHS in Srinagar, to identify and label their personal lockers following the recovery of arms and ammunition from a doctor’s locker at GMC, Anantnag, last week.

Officials said the directive, issued by the Administrator of Associated Hospitals, Srinagar, came after Jammu and Kashmir Police discovered a weapon inside a locker belonging to Dr Adeel Majeed Rather at GMC Anantnag on November 8.

Dr Rather, originally from Qazigund in south Kashmir and formerly a resident doctor at GMC Anantnag, had been working in Uttar Pradesh. He is among three doctors arrested this week in connection with a “white-collar” inter-state terror module busted by the J&K Police. The police said the module, linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), led to the seizure of 2,900 kg of explosive material used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

According to officials, an AK-47 rifle was recovered from the locker that Dr Rather had retained access to despite leaving the medical college in 2024. Investigators are examining how he managed to maintain control over it after his departure.

In response, the Srinagar hospital administration issued an order on Tuesday directing all faculty members, heads of departments, paramedical staff, and students to “personally identify their lockers and label them with their name, designation and code.”

“This exercise should be completed by November 14, 2025,” the circular stated.

The notice added that, after the deadline, medical superintendents of SMHS Hospital, resident medical officers (RMOs) of each floor, and the Estates-cum-Transport Officer of GMC, Srinagar, will inspect the premises and remove unidentified or surplus lockers occupying space in hospital corridors.

The administration warned that no claims would be entertained from any employee regarding lockers that remain unlabelled after the deadline.

It further directed the section officers, estates officer, and accounts section not to issue any Last Pay Certificate (LPC), No Objection Certificate (NOC), or service book to any employee being transferred until they have officially handed over their assigned locker.

Meanwhile, police officials said Dr Rather was earlier arrested from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly putting up posters supporting the banned JeM outfit in Srinagar.