Jk Terminates Services Of Power Dept Inspector Over Terror Links
Hindustan Times
The Jammu and Kashmir government has terminated the services of a power development department (PDD) inspector in South Kashmir for his alleged links to militancy, marking the ninth such dismissal this year. The 51-year-old employee, Mohammad Shafi Malik of Ar
wani in Bijbehara, Anantnag district, was dismissed with immediate effect under Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution.
This constitutional provision allows the President or a governor to dismiss an employee without a formal inquiry if they are satisfied that the step is necessary in the interest of national security.
Officials said that Malik was named in three first information reports (FIRs) registered between 2017 and 2018 under the Ranbir Penal Code and the Arms Act at the Bijbehara police station for his purported involvement with terror outfits.
With this action on Wednesday, the J&K administration has dismissed 91 government employees for anti-national and subversive activities since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
The crackdown has intensified in recent months, following the termination of five employees in January, three Jal Shakti department staffers in March, and two others in April who were accused of providing logistical support to Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
While the administration, led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, maintains that purging the state machinery of embedded terrorist elements is vital for national security, the policy faces political pushback, with the ruling National Conference and opposition parties repeatedly criticising the drive as a vendetta against local employees.