The Lieutenant Governor of J&K UT, Shri Manoj Sinha on Saturday terminated 3 government employees including a police constable, a teacher and an orderly in the forest department. According to top sources in the security agencies, the Lieutenant Governor invoked article 311 (2) (c) of the Constitution of India to terminate 3 employees after painstaking investigation by law enforcement and intelligence agencies clearly established their terror links. The massive action just came a day after security review meeting chaired by the Lieutenant Governor. In the meeting the Lieutenant Governor had directed the police and security agencies to intensify anti-terror operation to neutralise terrorists and terror ecosystem operating in the shadows. The Lieutenant Governor had also said that those supporting and financing terrorism will have to pay a very heavy price.
A senior security official said the government employees terminated by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha were serving the terrorist organisations and not the nation.
1.FIRDOUS AHMAD BHAT (CONSTABLE, J&K POLICE)
He was engaged as SPO in 2005 and became constable in 2011. He was arrested in May 2024 and is facing terror charges and currently lodged in Kot Bhalwal Jail. It is interesting to note that Firdous Bhat after being confirmed as a constable was posted at sensitive position of Electronic Surveillance Unit in the J&K Police. However, he started working for terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba.
Firdous Bhat got exposed in May 2024 when two terrorists- Waseem Shah and Adnan Beigh- were arrested in Anantnag with pistol and hand grenade. Investigation revealed that Firdous Bhat had tasked two other local terrorists of LeT- Omas and Aquib- to provide arms and ammunition to Waseem and Adnan to carry out terror attacks on non-local civilians and tourists visiting Anantnag. During the interrogation Firdous Bhat revealed his sinister design.
“ Sizable quantity of arms including pistols, ammunition, explosives and narcotics was recovered from his residential quarter in Police Housing Colony, Qamarwari in Srinagar and a newly constructed house in Ganie Mohalla, Mattan, Anantnag. 3 KG of Charas was also recovered from his residence which was dropped by LeT terrorist Sajid Jutt alias Saifullah through drone in Samba few days earlier. Investigation further revealed that Firdous Bhat was a close associate of Sajid Jutt helped him operate a large terrorist network from Pakistan. Firdous Bhat while serving in J&K Police was also working for Hizbul Mujahideen’s Commander Khursheed Dar, LeT terrorist Hamza Bhai and Abu Zarar,” a source in the intelligence community revealed.
Firdous Bhat not only provided classified information about security forces movement, collection, storage and delivery of arms ammunition on the instruction of terrorists but also provided targets for killing and guided terror attacks.
“ Firdous Bhat in 2020 guided the LeT terrorists which led to the killing of J&K Police Sub-inspector Ashraf Bhat. On 18th May 2024 Firdous Bhat gave the target and guided the terrorists to attack tourists in which two tourists from Rajasthan were injured at Yanner, Pahalgam. He was also involved in radicalising and luring the youth to join terror ranks. Using his police constable cover Firdous Bhat was transporting arms, ammunition and explosives for terrorists,” sources in the security agencies said.
Another official said that after Firdous Bhat became constable in 2011, he used to send terrorists to the residence of government officials and businessman with intent of blackmailing.
“ He did not spare his colleagues in police department. In one such instance he sent HM terrorists to the house of a Sub-Inspector and also made threatening calls on behalf of LeT to the families of police officers. They were scared so one spoke out,” the official said.
NISAR AHMAD KHAN (ORDERLY, FOREST DEPT)
Nisar Ahmad Khan joined the forest department in 1996 as a helper and currently posted as an orderly at the forest range office, Verinag, Anantnag. According to top security officials who have thoroughly investigated his terror links said that Nisar Khan is venomous traitor hiding within the govt ranks and mole planted by terrorist organisation Hizbul Mujahideen to destabilise the Indian state.
“While working as a govt servant he covertly joined Hizbul Mujahideen and started collaborating with separatist forces. He traded his loyalty for bloodshed and duty for destruction,” the officials said.
His links with Hizbul Mujahideen first came to light in the year 2000 when a landmine blast at Chamaran in Anantnag District. The attack was executed by Hizbul Mujahideen in which Ghulam Hasan Bhat, the then power minister of J&K was killed. Nasir Khan and another accused had provided logistical support to the terrorists to assassinate the then Minister along with two police personnel. Nasir also helped in smuggling RDX used in the blast and coordinated the terror attack. He was arrested, chargesheeted but later acquitted in 2006 due to witnesses backtracking, intimidating environment inside and outside the courts.
“It was not honorable acquittal. Arms, ammunition and wireless set seized from his house was not considered as evidence by the trial court and also witnesses and associates backtracked on their testimony. Those days gun wielding terrorists would roam freely in the villages and people were scared to speak out against Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists. Even officers and witnesses were reluctant to testify against persons like Nasir in the court,” the security officials said.
However, despite his acquittal in 2006, Nasir Khan continued his work for terror group. His role was once again exposed in 2016 and he played a central role during the valley’s unrest following killing of HM terrorist, Burhan Wani.
“He mobilised mobs, incited violent protests and transformed the streets into terror battleground. He also mobilised youth for stone pelting and arranged weapons to attack security forces. During that period 4 FIRs were lodged against him. After the killing of another HM terrorist Yawar Nisar Wagay in 2017, Nasir once again played a key role in organising stone pelting and attacks against security forces. He was detained under PSA for 8 months. However, no departmental action was taken against him because his senior officers were scared of him. Officers in criminal justice system too were intimidated so he has continued his work as an asset of HM terror outfit and providing support to carry out attacks on civilians and police personnel,” the officials said.MOHAMMAD ASHRAF BHAT (TEACHER, EDUCATION DEPT)
- Ashraf Bhat, a resident of Reasi was appointed as Rehbar-e-Taleem Teacher in 2008. Rehbar-e-Taleem Teacher system, a temporary job, was introduced in 2000. He was regularised and became permanent teacher in June 2013.
- A very senior intelligence officer based in Jammu observed that while working as a teacher Ashraf pledged allegiance to Lashkar -e-Toiba and became an overground worker. He started attacking the same Indian state which was providing him salary and putting the food on his table. For many years his activities were undetected eventually came to light in 2022 and he was arrested and currently lodged in district jail, reasi.
- During the course of a painstaking investigation, it was revealed that Ashraf Bhat’s handler was most wanted LeT terrorist Mohd Qasim, who is based in Pakistan.
- “LeT found him to be very useful because as a teacher Ashraf Bhat was best placed to radicalise youth and carry out terror activities under the cover of a respectable, noble profession. He helped LeT to raise finances for terror activities and coordinated transport of arms, ammunition and explosives. As an active terror associate, Ashraf also used his cover to deliver threat letters to the targeted individuals identified by LeT handlers based in Pakistan. Even after he was arrested he has no remorse for working with terror outfit and in fact while he was lodged in jail, he managed to communicate with some of his handlers in Pakistan through his aides. It is also learnt that he is actively involved in radicalising inmates in district jail, Reasi,” Sources in security agencies said.
- Sources also said nowhere in the world you would such example where government employees are biting the same hand that is feeding them.
- “They are drawing their salary from Indian exchequer and their families are getting all the facilities provided by Indian state. But, they are siding with terrorists and adversaries and killing innocent people,” sources added.
