J&K: 4 Govt Employees, Including Doctors’ Association President Sacked for Alleged ‘Anti-National’ Links

Srinagar: Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday said it has terminated four government employees, including the president of Doctors Association of Kashmir (DAK) Nisar ul Hassan, for their alleged role in “anti-national” activities.

The employees sacked by the Jammu and Kashmir administration led by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha also include a laboratory bearer in the higher education department, Abdul Salam Rather, a police constable, Abdul Majeed Bhat, and a school teacher, Farooq Ahmad Mir.

“The Lieutenant Governor is satisfied after considering the facts and circumstances of the case and on the basis of the information available, that the activities of Dr Nisar ul Hassan, Assistant Professor (Medicine), SMHS Hospital, Srinagar S/o Ghulam Hassan R/o Village Achabal, Sopore, Baramulla are such as to warrant his dismissal from service,” the order from the General Administration Department dated November 21, 2023 read.

The action against Dr Nisar ul Hassan also comes a day after he was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Medicine by the Health and Medical Education Department. 

Dr Nisar is considered as one of the leading medical practitioners known for his expert comments about medicine and healthcare in the region. He has also led campaigns against alleged spurious drugs in the valley and has often been vocal about several healthcare issues faced by the people in Kashmir.

The decisions were taken under the sub-clause (c) of the provisio to clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India. This sub clause provides that in the “interest of the security of the state”, it is not expedient to hold inquiry before the removal or dismissal of a civil servant, if the President or Governor, as the case may be, is satisfied.

The dismissals are part of the crackdown launched by the government in the Union territory following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 A on August 5, 2019.

The administration has already sacked 55 employees, including doctors, policemen, school teachers and administrative officers since a Special Task Force (STF) was formed in April 2021 to crackdown on government employees suspected of being involved in ‘anti-national’ activities.

Earlier, in July, three government employees, including the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the University of Kashmir and a revenue official, were sacked for their alleged role in aiding militancy in Kashmir. A month later, the management of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank dismissed a senior employee and a prominent columnist Sajad Ahmad Bazaz who was due to retire later this year.