Mumin Peerzada
The Jammu Kashmir administration headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha recently announced the formation of a Special Task Force (STF) to bring under the scanner government employees allegedly involved in ‘anti-national’ activity, after which a teacher from Kupwara has been suspended allegedly for ‘Anti National Activities.’
Days after the order, the administration sent out an official notice that a teacher named Idress Ahmed Jan posted in Government Middle School of Kralpora, Kupwara was dismissed from his services. The order read, “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 Mr. Idrees Jan, Teacher, Government Middle School, Kralpora, Kupwara are such as to warrant his dismissal from service.”
It was said that by April end, the Jammu Kashmir administration created STF (Special task Force) which will engage with members of the Terror Monitoring Group (TMG). The task force will scrutinize cases in a time-bound manner and will be serviced by the criminal investigation.
A few days later the axe of the special Task Force fell upon an Executive Magistrate (First Class) in whose shop police claimed that it busted a ‘hideout’ last year in May in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
The Joint Forces had claimed that soldiers from 44 Rashtriya Rifles last year had claimed that it recovered arms and incriminating material in a ‘hideout’ in a shop at Bellow village that belonged to Wani in Pulwama during a search operation-a claim that had been outrightly rejected by the family of Wani.
Dr. Bari, Assistant professor of Geography, who is a resident of Kulgam’s Quimoh belt and currently jailed under anti-terror law UAPA has also been suspended by the administration.
The Case of Idrees Jan
Idrees Jan, who was recently dismissed from his Government job, is very popular among his students besides having a tragic family history. Born in a middle-class family in Dardpora village of Kupwara District, Jan got educated locally and completed his higher education in Kupwara. Idrees Mir, speaking about the dismissal at large says, “Being dismissed came as really shocking and disappointing. I was called to Naib Tehsildar’s office, which is a few miles from my home. The official informed me on the phone that some documents had arrived and needed my signatures. I had no idea that my life was going to shatter then.”
Jan’s elder brother, Tanveer Ahmad told The Kashmiriyat, “Just a day before, the army came and stayed the entire day at our house premises but we were informed about nothing.” Idrees Jan’s wife is numb and unable to utter a word after the government decision came in. His children do get excited about seeing people arrive in such large numbers at their residence. “They have no idea what is going on. I will not be able to buy toys this Eid….” Idrees Jan told The Kashmiriyat in a disappointing mood before the people around him turn moist-eyed.
In his teens, back in the year 2007, Idrees Jan faced his first setback, when his uncle Ali Mohd Mir, a government teacher (who had adopted him), was taken away by the Army from Govt. Higher Secondary School, Kralpora gate. He never returned since.
Idrees Mir, locally called ‘Jan’, was appointed as a Laboratory Assistant, on a compassionate basis in Education Department in 2007, and was later promoted as a Teacher. He made a fresh start in his life and got married. Jan has three children. Idrees Jan’s peaceful life was interrupted when, in 2016, he was booked under PSA for stone-pelting. The case was later quashed by the Honourable High Court after he had spent 4 months in jail.
The sufferings in his life had not ended yet. Jan lost his father, Khazir Mohd Mir, in the same year when a local pelted a stone (during a land dispute) on his head, resulting in his death. On 01 May, this year, Idrees Jan was shocked when he was handed over the sacking letter by the Magistrate. This was one of the most shocking and unexpected things to have happened to him.
“The most disheartening thing is that I don’t know anything other than teaching. What will I do now? This is what is making me restless now,” Jan sighs.
“My students are well off and they have achieved heights in life, you will find no one of them indulged in any anti-social activity. Is this what I am being punished for?” He questions.
On being asked if he will approach a court, Idrees says “How could you expect a person like me to afford Court charges and all that, all I had was my pay, I don’t have any other income source, just check my bank balance there is nothing left,” he responded, hastily.
Dr. Bari- A reputed Teacher
Students from the Kulgam Degree college hold Dr. Bari in high regard. “We do not know why such persons are booked under cases and now being terminated from services, when all his life, professor Bari has asked people to desist from violence. He faced criticism from students after he asked students to not pelt stones and today, the same man is languishing in jail,” Shahid, a student of Dr. Bari told The Kashmiriyat.
He has left an everlasting impact on many students like Basit.
In August 2018, the Government forces allegedly entered the premises of Government Degree College in Kulgam and fired tear smoke shells inside the college premises after which the students threw at the Government Forces. Bari was posted at the Government Degree College in Kulgam at that time when he was booked for inciting violence on the college campus by the Jammu Kashmir Police.
https://www.facebook.com/abdulbari.naik/videos/2301883443366855
“I request the students not to pelt stones, they always can fight their battles through the pen, the stones should not be our weapon,” Dr. Abdul Bari who is a Ph.D. scholar from Aligarh Muslim University had told The Kashmiriyat. In the interview with The Kasmhmiriyat Bari had said that he was implicated in the case due to his activism.
Bari, who teaches Geography, is a resident of Chidder village in Kulgam district and was arrested on March 7 in Udhampur, after police claimed he had been evading arrest since 2018- a claim refuted by family saying he was posted at Govt Degree College for Women in Udhampur and was being targeted for raising social issues.
Dr. Bari as per his brother a few days ahead of his arrest was transferred to the Government Degree College in Udhampur from Kulgam. “Dr. Bari was arrested on duty at the College premises in Udhampur on Friday and he was shifted to Kulgam on Saturday,” his brother had told The Kashmiryat.
He said that Bari has one more UAPA case registered against him under the FIR No 83/2019 U/S 252, 427 RPC 13, 18, 19, 38, 39 UAPA Act P/S Yaripora.
Dr. Bari in his response to the show-cause notice by the District Administration in Kulgam district had written, “FIR has been charged by the army against me related to the case of a youngster from Kadder who has been ruthlessly beaten to the pulp while saving the holy Quran from desacralization during a search operation. Besides, A lot of public property has got damaged by the army. Since. we claim good ties between the army and youth and have to work in support of it. I always support peace and tranquility. Besides I want to minimize the gap between in uniform and youth of Jammu and Kashmir. I raised my voice against this cruel act and released the video of this this is against this injustice is a crime in a democratic nation. then this is the teas raising an FIR has been lodged against me.”