Two J&K government teachers dismissed over Lashkar-e-Taiba links under Article 311

Crackdown deepens as LG Manoj Sinha invokes Article 311 against government staff accused of aiding terror network

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday terminated two government school teachers for their alleged links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Officials told PTI that the dismissals were carried out under Article 311 of the Constitution, which allows the government to sack employees without an inquiry in cases involving national security concerns.

With this, around 80 employees have been dismissed from service in the Union Territory in the past five years as part of the administration’s continuing 'zero-tolerance' policy against terrorism.

The two employees have been identified as Ghulam Hussain and Majid Iqbal Dar, both working in the School Education Department.

Officials said investigations revealed that the duo had actively supported LeT operatives, helped in recruiting local youth, and channelled funds to sustain terror activities in Reasi and Rajouri districts.

According to sources cited by PTI, Ghulam Hussain, appointed as a Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teacher in 2004 and regularised in 2009, was secretly working as an overground worker (OGW) for LeT in Reasi district.

He was posted at a government primary school in Kalwa, Mahore, where investigators allege he used his position to radicalise young minds and assist LeT handlers identified as Mohd Qasim and Ghulam Mustafa.

Authorities claim Hussain received funds through local conduits and distributed money to families of known terrorists to sustain the outfit’s network.

“Hussain was not driven by money alone; his ideological sympathy towards terrorism made him dangerous,” an intelligence officer told PTI.

The official added that Hussain’s arrest in 2023 exposed a wider network of overground operatives planted inside government institutions, underscoring the administration’s concern over terror sympathisers within the system.

The other dismissed employee, Majid Iqbal Dar, was appointed as a laboratory assistant in 2009 on compassionate grounds after his father’s death and later promoted as a teacher in 2019.

Officials said Dar became a key overground worker for LeT in Rajouri, where he allegedly radicalised local youth and used narco-terror funds to finance militant recruitment.

Investigators linked Dar to a January 2023 case in which an improvised explosive device (IED) was planted near a J&K Bank branch in Rajouri.

Police arrested three people, including Dar, after uncovering evidence that he and LeT terrorists Mohd Jabar and Zohaib Shazad had planted the explosive on instructions from handlers in Pakistan.

Even after his detention, officials said Dar continued to show radical tendencies and remained committed to LeT’s ideology, raising concerns about infiltration within sensitive government departments.

The latest dismissals are part of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s ongoing crackdown on what he calls the 'terror ecosystem' in Jammu and Kashmir.

Since 2019, the administration has invoked Article 311(2)(c) to remove dozens of employees from service, including police officers, teachers, engineers, and revenue officials, for alleged terror links or anti-national activities.

“The war against terrorism is not over yet,” Sinha said recently while addressing security and intelligence officers.

“Kinetic and non-kinetic operations must continue. We must maintain the momentum and take stringent action against terrorism and its entire ecosystem,” he added.

Officials told PTI such dismissals are aimed at ensuring that public institutions remain free from extremist influence, especially those involving youth and education.