Cop, Teacher Among 3 J&K Government Employees Dismissed Due to Terror Connections

 

Cop, Teacher Among 3 J&K Government Employees Dismissed Due to Terror Connections

As reported by sources, the removal of these individuals by the Lieutenant Governor followed an inquiry by law enforcement and intelligence agencies that confirmed their associations with terrorism. 

On Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha dismissed three government employees, which included a police constable, a teacher as well as a forest department orderly. This decision came just days after he pledged to implement the "strongest possible action" against those offering logistical and financial assistance to terrorist activities. 

According to sources, the dismissal of these employees was based on findings from investigations linking them to terrorism. 

The individuals who were let go have been named as Firdous Ahmad Bhat, a police constable with Jammu and Kashmir who faced arrest in May 2024; Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, a teacher currently imprisoned in a district jail; and Nisar Ahmad Khan, an orderly at a forest range office. 

Reportedly, Firdous Ahmad Bhat and Mohammad Ashraf Bhat had affiliations with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba, while Nisar Ahmad Khan was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, sources indicated. Lieutenant Governor Sinha convened two security assessment meetings this week in light of a number of incidents near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Jammu region recently. 

A captain and another army personnel lost their lives due to a significant Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonation caused by militants in the Akhnoor sector on February 11. On the previous day, a soldier sustained injuries from cross-border shelling in the Rajouri sector. 

In a meeting on February 13, Mr. Sinha instructed officials to implement "effective measures to eradicate" terrorism in the Jammu area. He emphasized the need to "entirely dismantle" the infrastructure supporting terrorism and the local networks that aid it. 

"We must take the strongest possible measures against those providing logistical and financial backing to terrorism. It is essential that actions by individuals or groups attempting to instill fear in the community are classified as terrorist acts and dealt with according to the law," he stated.