The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, has dismissed four government employees for complicity in terror activities. According to top sources in the J&K administration, LG Sinha invoked Article 311 (2) (C) of the Indian Constitution to sanction this action. Investigations unveiled the quartet's clandestine work for Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI and various terrorist factions. In adherence to a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, LG Manoj Sinha has terminated the services of more than 50 individuals involved with terrorist organizations and ISI Pakistan to date.
The terminated employees were identified as: 1- Abdul Rahman Dar (Constable, J&K Police), 2- Anayatullah Shah Peerzada (Assistant Lineman, Jal Shakti Department), 3- Ghulam Rasool Bhat (Constable, J&K Police), and 4- Shabbir Ahmad Wani (Teacher, School Education Department).
A closer look at the employees working for terrorist organizations
1- Abdul Rahman Dar (Constable, J&K Police)
Abdul Rahman Dar joined the executive branch of the J&K Police as a constable in 2002. After completing his BRTC course at the Police Training School in Kathua, he was initially deployed at a reserve police company in Srinagar dedicated to maintaining law and order, and later transferred to Kargil, where he served until 2009. He was subsequently stationed in the District of Budgam and remained there until his dismissal. Rahman hails from the Tral area of Pulwama district, a region traditionally central to terrorism and separatist activities for the past three decades, largely due to the strong influence of the now-banned Jamaat-e-Islami. The Tral area's local constabulary's alignment with separatists and terrorists became a grave concern during 2004-06, which led to mass transfers of Tral's native policemen to the Ladakh region. However, Mr. Rahman chose to continue his support for the terrorists deliberately.
Rahman was outed as an Over Ground Worker (OGW) for terrorist groups in his region during the investigation. He was a close associate of Sajjad Hussain Parre, a staunch overground worker (OGW) and his neighbor. Despite being a government employee, Rahman also engaged in a private business of ready-made garments with Sajjad. Eventually, both became trusted aides to various active terrorist commanders in Tral.
On December 24, 2020, the Awantipora police cordoned off villages of Dadsara and Larumu, where four individuals were spotted wandering in the orchards during a search operation. Upon being apprehended by security forces, they confessed to working as overground workers (OGW) for the terrorist organization Al-Badr. Rahman's involvement was not only motivated by financial gains but also by a sympathy for terrorism, an ideology, and a violent campaign. He surfaced as a spy for terrorists within the Budgam Police Department, providing them with weapons and ammunition, and even supplying them with garments and miscellaneous items useful for their disguised uniforms.
Retaining Rahman in the police department, a senior official asserted, posed an extreme danger, with potential stark, harmful impacts on national security and society at large. His betrayal was not only to his country but also to his colleagues.
2. Anayatullah Shah Peerzada (Assistant Lineman, Jal Shakti Department)
In 1995, Anayatullah Shah Peerzada was appointed as 'Helper' in the Public Health Engineering (PHE), now Jal Shakti Department. His first assignment was at Jal Shakti Division Baramulla, where he stayed until 2009. He served at Jal Shakti Division North Sopore from 2009 to 2013 and is currently stationed in Watergam, Baramulla. Records indicate Anayatullah as a terrorist associate of the banned Al-Badr Mujahideen. He assisted terrorists in various capacities—receiving intruding terror factions from across the border, settling them in J&K, not only providing logistic support, but also alerting them about security forces' operations and helping them escape cordons and searches.
Anayatullah, a resident of the Rafiabad area near the Line of Control (LoC), acted as a guide during infiltration attempts, providing accommodation, hideouts, food and clothes, arranging false identities, and transporting their illegal arms. He became a devout admirer of Al-Badr Mujahideen, recognized as one of the most critical and dependable overground workers (OGW) for the organization.
Anayatullah grew close to the then-chief operations commander of Al-Badr Mujahideen, Yusuf Baloch, a notorious Pakistani terrorist active in Kashmir, especially in Rafiabad, who later fled to Pakistan. After Baloch's escape, Anayatullah was instructed to work with another Pakistani terrorist commander of Al-Badr, Tameem, until Tameem’s death in 2008. Further investigation confirmed Anayatullah's direct relations and contacts with Al-Badr Mujahideen terrorists.
3. Ghulam Rasool Bhat (Constable, J&K Police)
Rasool Bhat was recruited as a constable into the J&K Police in 2011 and transferred to the Budgam district in 2012. He was posted as Assistant QM NCO (Armorer Keeper) at Budgam District Police Lines from 2017. A supporter of separatism and extremism, Rasool was incorporated into active terrorism by a network of overground workers and terrorists from Lalgam Tral area. Reportedly, he placed himself in Budgam District Police Lines as Assistant QM NCO and managed his continued posting to provide technical assistance for the repair and maintenance of the terrorists' weapons and arrange for their ammunition.
4. Shabbir Ahmad Wani (Teacher, School Education Department)
Shabbir Ahmad Wani was a teacher in the School Education Department, first appointed under the Rehbar-e-Taleem (RET) scheme in 2004 and later regularized as a permanent teacher. Wani is an active member (rukun) of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami (JEI). His active involvement in organizing and leading JEI-related events in the Kulgam area made him a staunch advocate for the separatism of Jammu & Kashmir. Shabbir played a significant role in nourishing, strengthening, and spreading a favorable ecosystem for separatism and terrorism locally and in neighboring districts of Shopian and Anantnag.
As a dedicated JEI officer, Shabbir played a key role in fortifying JEI's presence and establishing a network of supporters. An official reported that while receiving sustenance from the government, Shabbir posed as a devoted teacher solely for official duties. However, he kept himself involved as an effective and powerful activist for terrorist organizations like JEI and Hizbul Mujahideen. Multiple FIRs are also lodged against him at the police station DH Pora.
