Hizb chief’s son, Bitta Karate’s wife among 4 fired from J&K govt service

Over 30 government employees have been dismissed so far under this provision.

While the KAS officer, Assabah-ul-Arjamand Khan, is the wife of the jailed Farooq Ahmad Dar who is also known as Bitta Karate, Syed Abdul Mueed is son of Syed Salahuddin. Mueed is the third son of Salahuddin to be dismissed from government service.

The General Administration Department (GAD) order terminating the service of Dr Muheet Ahmad Bhat stated: “Whereas 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 Muheet Ahmad Bhat, Scientist-D in Post Graduate department of Computer Sciences, University of Kashmir… are such as to warrant his dismissal from the service… And whereas the Lieutenant Governor is satisfied under sub clause (C) of the proviso of clause (2) of Article 311 of the Constitution of India that in the interest of the security of the state, it is not expedient to hold an enquiry in the case of Dr Muheet Ahmad Bhat… Accordingly, the Lieutenant Governor hereby dismisses Dr Muheet Ahmad Bhat… from service with immediate effect”.

A doctorate in Computer Sciences, Bhat was a senior scientist in Kashmir University and is one of the employees credited with the digitisation and automation exercise there, especially of its examination wing. A resident of Srinagar, Bhat is a former president of the Kashmir University Teachers Association.

Similar circulars have been issued for the dismissal of the three other employees – Khan, Qadri and Mueed.

Khan, a District Panchayat Officer (DPO) in the Rural Development Department, is a 2011 batch KAS officer.

Majid Qadri was Senior Assistant Professor in Kashmir University’s Department of Management Studies. He was arrested in 2004 – when he was a research scholar at the university – for alleged contact with militants. Following his release, he completed a doctorate and was later appointed as Assistant Professor in the Kashmir University.

Mueed, a Manager in Information Technology at the JKEDI, a premier institute for entrepreneurship development in J&K, is the son of Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin. Mueed’s two brothers, Shahid Yousuf and Syed Shakeel, have already been dismissed from government service.

Reacting to dismissals, People’s Conference chairman Sajad Gani Lone said a son cannot be held responsible for his father’s actions.