BY EOK NEWS DESK
In a significant move aimed at bolstering the security of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has terminated services of four government employees. These actions are part of Sinha’s ongoing crackdown on individuals within the state apparatus who are allegedly linked to terrorist activities and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The terminations were executed under Article 311(2)(c) of the Indian Constitution, following thorough investigations by law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
Since adopting a zero-tolerance policy against terrorism, Sinha has dismissed over 50 employees suspected of collaborating with terror outfits. Here are the details of the latest terminations:
- Abdul Rehman Dar (Constable J&K Police)
He was recruited as a constable in the Jammu and Kashmir Police Executive Wing in 2002. After completing his BRTC course at Police Training School Kathua, he was posted in a reserve police company for law & order in Srinagar. Thereafter, he was transferred to Kargil, where he remained until 2009. In 2009, he was transferred and posted to District Budgam and continues to be posted there to date. He is currently under suspension.
Abdul Rehman Dar belongs to the Tral area of Pulwama District, which has traditionally been a hotbed of terrorism and secessionist activities for the last three decades, largely due to the strong influence of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), now banned, in the area. The secessionist and terrorist contamination of local policemen from Tral became a serious problem in 2004-06, and to overcome this threat, the Police department transferred and posted a large number of policemen from Tral to the Ladakh division. While almost all the policemen vulnerable to JeI and terrorist propaganda and traps stayed away from wrongdoing, a few like Dar continued their willful collaboration with terrorists. True to the adage that a man is known by the company he keeps, Abdul Rehman was known locally for being in the company of those working as Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of terror outfits. This was revealed in discreet inquiries about him. One close associate of Abdul Rehman was his neighbor, Sajad Hussain Parray, a staunch OGW. Despite being a government employee, Abdul Rehman was also engaged in private business with Sajad, dealing with readymade garments. In time, they became the most trusted accomplices of several terrorist commanders operating in the Tral area.
The story of Abdul Rehman Dar further unfolds like this:
On December 24, 2020, Awantipora Police, along with other security forces, cordoned off the villages of Dadsara and Larmoo. During the search operation, four suspicious persons were found roaming in the orchards of Dadsara and were later apprehended by security forces. Upon preliminary questioning, they admitted to being OGWs of the terrorist outfit Al-Badr and disclosed their names as:
- Showkat Ahmad Dar, son of Gulzar Ahmad Dar, resident of Dadsara, Awantipora.
- Aabid Majeed Sheikh, son of Abdul Majeed Sheikh, resident of Dadsara, Awantipora.
- Yawar Aziz Dar, son of Abdul Aziz Dar, resident of Larmoo, Awantipora.
- Sajjad Hussain Parray, son of Abdul Rehman Parray, resident of Larmoo, Awantipora.
During the subsequent search, the following arms and ammunition were recovered from their possession:
- One AK-56 Rifle
- One Magazine
- 28 Rounds
- One Chinese hand grenade
Evidence collected revealed that the accused had hatched a criminal conspiracy to procure illegal arms and ammunition with the intent of committing terrorist acts in association with an active terrorist, Umer Ali Mir, who was later killed in an encounter by security forces. Due to the timely action of J&K Police, the accused were arrested with the recovery of arms and ammunition from them. This prevented further terror attacks, saving many lives. The case has been charge-sheeted against all the accused persons, including Abdul Rehman Dar, who has been bailed out in the said case.
Investigations revealed that Abdul Rehman Dar did not commit this illegal act solely for monetary gain but also due to his sympathies towards terrorism, both as an ideology and a violent campaign. He was exposed as a mole planted by terrorists within the Police department in District Budgam, where he had connections with another tainted constable, Gh. Rasool Bhat, who had access to hundreds of weapons, thousands of live rounds of ammunition, and other explosives. Through Abdul Rehman Dar, they transported illegal arms and ammunition from Budgam to Tral, provided by Constable Gh. Rasool Bhat. Despite being well-versed in police interrogation techniques, Abdul Rehman did not disclose or admit to transporting ammunition to terrorists in the past. It is strongly suggested that he has been supplying ammunition and transporting weapons for terrorists for a long time. However, this intelligence could not be converted into admissible evidence in court due to the lack of willing witnesses and a fear-free environment for investigators, prosecutors, and judges. The stranglehold of terrorist-separatist networks severely undermined the rule of law. Nonetheless, Abdul Rehman Dar was a long-term supplier of arms and ammunition to terrorists, nearly a decade before his cover was blown. He also provided camouflage uniform cloths and other materials to terrorists and was involved in dealing with uniform items in Budgam Police Lines. His placement at a critically sensitive position where thousands of lives are at stake posed a grave security risk. His arrest averted a major tragedy of serious implications.
Abdul Rehman Dar took undue and criminal advantage of his police uniform and credentials. He would go unnoticed at Police/Army Naka points, using his Police Identity Card to avoid detection of his wrongdoings, especially the transfer of illegal arms and ammunition. His activities included providing logistical support to terror outfits, which remained undetected for years because he was a member of the Police force. Instead of helping his department fight against terror, he chose to be a collaborator and a mole, betraying his oath and the dignity of his uniform.
A senior government official said: “Continuation of Abdul Rehman Dar in the Police department would have set an extremely dangerous precedent, with far-reaching detrimental consequences to national security and society at large. He not only betrayed his country but also his fellow colleagues. Many of his comrades in J&K Police, living, working, training, and dining with him, were killed or injured by the very bullets he transported to the terrorists.”
- Anayatullah Shah Pirzada (Assistant Lineman, Jal Shakti Department)
Anayatullah Shah Pirzada was appointed as a helper in the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department, now Jal Shakti, in 1995. He was deployed in Jal Shakti (PHE) Division Baramulla until 2009, the year he was promoted to Assistant Lineman. From 2009 to 2013, he was posted in Jal Shakti Division North Sopore and is currently posted at Watergam, Baramulla.
According to records, Anayatullah Shah is a terrorist associate of Al-Badr Mujahideen, a proscribed terror outfit. He gradually turned into an effective worker and organizer for terrorist groups, offering himself in furthering anti-national activities. Individuals like him do not usually wield arms or participate in terrorist violence directly but assist, abet, and aid terrorists in several ways, including receiving infiltrating terrorist groups from across the border and settling them in J&K, guiding them through, providing logistical support, informing them about security force movements to escape Cordon and Search Operations (CASO), and helping them dodge security checkpoints, nakas, and patrols using their local knowledge.
Anayatullah Shah, a resident of the Rafiabad area of District Baramulla near the LoC, guided terrorist groups during infiltration and provided accommodation, hideouts, food, clothing, fake identity cards, and transported illegal arms and ammunition to help them reach the hinterland of Kashmir valley. Over time, Shah became a staunch follower of Al-Badr Mujahideen and one of its most important and trustworthy over ground workers (OGWs). He got close to Al-Badr Mujahideen Chief Operations Commander Yousuf Baloch, a dreaded Pakistani terrorist operating in Kashmir in the 1990s and early 2000s before escaping back to Pakistan. Shah evolved as Baloch’s right-hand man and, after Baloch’s escape, worked with another Al-Badr Mujahideen commander, Tameem, until his death in 2008.
Al-Badr, a designated terrorist outfit proscribed by the Government of India in 2002 and also designated by the United States, is part of the United Jihad Council (UJC) based in Pakistan Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) and supported by the ISI of Pakistan Army. Al-Badr has conducted numerous terrorist attacks in J&K and other parts of India.
Exploiting his influence within the terrorist network, Anayatullah Shah secured a government job using duress, coercion, threat, and intimidation, similar to many others who gained entry into government services at gunpoint during the peak of terrorism. His direct links with Al-Badr Mujahideen were established through investigations, making him a real threat to state security. His continuation in the PHE department would have had far-reaching detrimental consequences for national security and society.
Ghulam Rasool Bhat (Constable, J&K Police)
Ghulam Rasool Bhat was recruited as a constable in the Jammu and Kashmir Police Executive wing in 2011. After completing his BRTC course at CTC Lethpora, he was transferred to District Budgam in 2012 and has served as an Assistant Kote NCO (Armoury Keeper) since 2017 in Budgam District Police Lines. Bhat’s secessionist and radical ideology became evident during interrogation and other discreet inquiries.
Bhat was inducted into active terrorism by OGWs and terrorists from Lalgam Tral, his native area, which has remained a hotbed of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism since 1989, influenced by the banned Jamaat-e-Islami. Under the guidance of OGWs and terrorists, he manipulated his position as an Assistant Kote NCO to provide technical support for terrorists’ firearms and arrange ammunition for them. This was evident from his detailed confession during interrogation.
Bhat’s story unfolded further as he was found to have provided technical support to several AK 47 rifles, pistols, magazines, and other allied arms and ammunition to HM (Hizbul Mujahideen) terrorists in Tral for their terror attacks. It came to light that he manipulated his duties at the DPL Budgam Armoury to provide support to terrorists, posing a grave security risk. His continued service in J&K Police would have serious security implications
Shabeer Ahmad Wani, a resident of Bungam D.H. Pora, Kulgam, has been working as a Teacher in the School Education Department. He was initially engaged under the Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) scheme in 2004 and later got regularized as a permanent teacher. Shabeer Ahmad Wani is an active member (rukun) of the banned Jamat-e-Islami (JeI). Besides actively organizing and leading JeI-related programs in the Kulgam area, like others in JeI, he has been a strong proponent of J&K’s secession from India. Shabeer played a pivotal role in nurturing, strengthening, and proliferating a conducive ecosystem for secessionism and terrorism, not only in his local area but also in the neighboring districts of Shopian and Anantnag. It is largely due to JeI activities in South Kashmir, especially in Kulgam, known as the hotbed of the banned JeI, that terrorists enjoyed a field day and a large base of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) terror networks and modules sprung up in every nook and corner of the area.
Sources said Shabeer Ahmad Wani, as an active functionary of JeI, played a substantial role in his sphere of influence in strengthening JeI and creating a network of people among JeI sympathizers who became the OGWs and foot soldiers of the Hizbul-Mujahideen (HM) terror outfit. As part and parcel of the JeI system, he naturally became introduced to and attracted to Hizbul Mujhahideen (HM) terror outfit cadres, as HM has been widely known as the military wing of JeI.
According to an official, while drawing his sustenance from the government, Shabeer would attend his official duties as a teacher, marring the educational careers of children, and instead would engage himself as an effective and powerful activist of JeI and terror outfits like Hizbul-Mujahideen (HM).
It is worthwhile to mention here that South Kashmir in general and Kulgam in particular has remained an epicenter of terrorist violence prior to the abrogation of Article 370. He acted as a vital figure propagating disaffection towards the state and its institutions, disrupting public peace and tranquility as evidenced by a number of FIRs registered against him in Police Station D.H Pora. He was behind bars under PSA/FIRs multiple times before being released, and thereafter resumed his duties without facing any consequences for this grave criminal misconduct and long absence from duty.
Sources said the valley saw major unrest in the years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2016, affecting the whole valley resulting in the precious loss of human lives and damages to public and private property, besides colossal losses to the local economy in thousands of crores. Shabeer Ahmad Wani was at the forefront of inciting and instigating violence in all these years, playing a prominent role in enforcing shutdowns in the local area, despite facing resistance from the peace-loving people. People in D.H Pora area have been most averse to such strike calls. However, things were startlingly different in 2016 when he, using his influence with terror elements, was able to keep D.H Pora on boil. It is to mention here with great alacrity that the prolonged organized rioting in 2016 around D.H Pora, Kulgam, was unique in its nature and outbreak. D.H Pora, traditionally a peaceful area, in an otherwise disturbed belt of Kulgam-Shopian-Anantnag and generally unaffected by such agitations, saw widespread violent agitation and incidents of attacks on the police/ security force establishments wherein dozens of weapons were looted, which ultimately fell into the hands of terrorists and resulted in the killing of many innocent souls. The unique blend of terrorism and street violence in D.H Pora, in which he played a prominent role, affected the entire area, resulting in many years of terrorist violence until the situation was again brought under control post abrogation of Article 370. All this was largely facilitated by him, as discussed in the subsequent paras:
(i) On 09.07.2016, Shabeer Ahmad Wani led an unlawful assembly in D.H Pora of Kulgam District and provoked/instigated the people against the state/government of India. He motivated the unruly mob, who set ablaze Police Station D.H Pora, due to which some police personnel got seriously injured, and the violent rioters also looted arms/ammunition of the Police Station. In this regard, case FIR No. 103/2016 under sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 336, 427, 332, 225, 392, 364, 436RPC, PPSA, 7/25, 7/27 Arms Act stands registered in Police Station D.H Pora.
(ii) After setting the Police Station on fire, the violent rioting mob under the guidance of Shabeer moved towards the Court Complex of D.H Pora, set ablaze the court building/JMIC residence, and attempted to snatch the arms/ammunition from the police personnel deployed there in the court premises. The security personnel, exhibiting bravery, safeguarded their arms/ammunition. However, during the ensuing scuffle, a few police personnel were injured. In this regard, case FIR No. 104/2016 u/s 147, 148, 149, 336, 307, 332, 427, 392, 436 RPC, 13 UA(P)A Act, 3 PPSA Act stands registered in Police Station D.H Pora. During the course of the investigation, he was found involved in the commission of the crime.
(iii) On 09.07.2016, after setting the Court building on fire, Shabeer further instigated the mob and led an unlawful assembly towards the Army Camp deployed at D.H Pora. He provoked the unruly mob to pelt stones upon the Army Camp and tried to set the Army Camp on fire by hurling petrol bombs with the intention to kill Army personnel. However, the army deployed in the Camp fired aerial shots and dispersed the unruly mob. In this regard, case FIR No. 105/2016 under sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 336, 427, 436, 511 RPC, 3 PPSA, 7/25, 7/27 Arms Act stands registered in Police Station D.H Pora. During the investigation of the case, he was found involved in the commission of the crime. Had the rioters been successful in breaking into the Army camp, it would have had disastrous consequences in terms of the loss of dozens of human lives.
According to officials in law enforcement agencies, Shabeer was detained under the Public Safety Act by the orders of District Magistrate Kulgam vide order No. 41/DMK/PSA/19 dated 08.08.2019 and was lodged in Central Jail Agra, Uttar Pradesh, for a period of 01 year.
“The brazen and blatant activities of Shabeer, against the very government from which he draws his livelihood and leading murderous mobs to loot weapons, is a sheer act of treason which no country in the world would tolerate. This case is another instance of the physical manifestation of the penetration of the adversary as well as the sinister strategy employed by the adversary involved in infiltrating individuals into the government system,” the officials further added.
Another source pointed out that such a strategy, like the one adopted by Shabeer, aims to pursue two main objectives: firstly, to sustain their terror campaign in the long term by maintaining support while securing financial incentives from the Indian state exchequer, and secondly, to protect assets such as Shabeer Ahmad, Rasool, Dar, and Anaytullah by undermining and subverting the system from within.
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