SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: The mainstream politicians of Jammu and Kashmir seem unsatisfied and unhappy with the order issued by LG Administration. National Conference leader and former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah called the action as meaningless, PDP President and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also termed this order as heart breaking step for youngsters of Kashmir, saying it will push Kashmiri youths backward.
Jammu Kashmir and Peoples Conference Chief Sajad Gani said that this move cannot be considered as welcome step as the younger generation of Kashmir is already in trauma. Bharatiya Janata Party Jammu-Kashmir Unit Chief Ravinder Raina called it as welcome step taken by the LG’s Administration.
Notably Jammu and Kashmir Administrationhas asked the police to deny ‘security clearance’ to residents of the Kashmir Valley who are involved in ‘crimes prejudicial to the security of the Jammu and Kashmir’. The latest order issued by the CID wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police will also prevent Kashmiris, who have been booked under criminal charges, from leaving the country.
Earlier this year, the LG’s Administration terminated those employees from services, who were found involved in anti-national activities.
In a latest move, about 5,362 employees have been identified by CID in J&K who have recently entered government service without getting mandatory security clearance.
Official sources said, many of them were recruited under the previous PDP-BJP Government, which collapsed in 2018, and are already withdrawing salaries and other allowances. Sources further said taht some of them are working on key positions.
Politicians expressed surprise that the order was issued for Kashmir only while no such order has been issued for applicants in the Jammu region.
In a circular issued on July 31, A.A.Nagpure, SSP, CID, has ordered the Special Branch (SB) in Kashmir to specifically look into law & order, stones pelting and other charges before issuing clearance to subjects who have applied for government employment, a passport, etc.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Verification of Character and Antecedents) Instructions, 1997, the CID is tasked for verifying the character and antecedents of candidates in J&K.
Earlier, the J&K administration had instructed all the departments to provide a complete list of employees whose CID verification has not been done. They were also asked to stop the salaries of these employees.
Sources in the administration said that some of the departments have completed the exercise and the list is being shared with the CID, while the J&K police has been denying security clearance to people involved in terrorism and separatism or their kins.
Recently LG Sinha’s administration set-up Special Task Force to ‘scrutinise cases of employees suspected of activities requiring action under Article 311 (2) (c)’ .
A committee headed by J&K’s chief secretary was set up last year to formulate the procedure for invoking Article 311 (2) (c) against employees found involved in criminal offences.The J&K administration has so far terminated nearly two dozen employees for their involvement in ‘anti-national’ activities.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has also made Criminal Investigation Department verification mandatory for the employees of SKUAST-Kashmir to put a cap on ‘dubious characters’ of newly recruited employees.
A circular issued by the SKUAST-K said that the employees whose CID verification has not been submitted so far shall resolve the matter immediately with concerned authorities under intimation of the administration.”The salary of the incumbent employee will be stopped forthwith till verification by the CID,” the circular reads.
In an another order which was issued in March 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir Administration directed heads of the departments that no new entrant in the government service should be paid salary, allowances, till verification by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The Administration has also directed the new entrants into government service to furnish details like e-mail address, social media accounts,including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc. “It has, however, been observed that these instructions are not being adhered to in some departments, subordinate offices, as a result of which many individuals with dubious antecedents and conduct have been paid salaries and other allowances, without obtaining mandatory CID verification,” the order read.