Jammu, Mar 23: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday reiterated that all-out efforts were being made to remove those people, who became part of the government machinery despite having terror links.
He asserted that the gritty security grid, comprising Police, Army and CAPFs, was leaving no stone unturned in completely dismantling terror eco-system yet at the same time, J&K administration was endeavouring hard to heal the wounds of terror victims by providing them with the appointment letters.
LG Sinha also described the initiative as not merely a policy correction, but a “new moral declaration for a new Jammu and Kashmir.”
Lieutenant Governor, while speaking to media persons after handing over appointment letters to 37 Next of Kin (NoK) of victims of terrorism, at Convention Centre Jammu, stated that by relaxing rules, the appointment letters were also being handed over to NoK of government employees, who lost their lives in service, to provide a reprieve to such families.
“We know that for a long period, a large number of innocent people lost their lives due to terrorism and its eco-system. You (media) have listened to the first-hand account of the pain and suffering of the terror victims and have also reported to disseminate it to the people at large,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor stated that the J&K administration had taken an initiative to heal the wounds of terror victims. “Till date, 438 appointment letters have been provided to such people (Next of Kin of terror victims). All the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) have been directed to identify all such cases in their respective districts and recommend them to the General Administration Department (GAD) with the requisite details, at the earliest possible,” he said.
LG Sinha pointed out that every appointment letter was provided after thorough investigation.
“Every appointment letter is given after proper investigation. Once the credentials are satisfactorily checked, only then they are handed over. If an appointment letter goes to even one wrong person, it will create flutter and will be given more prominence in the discussions. There used to be such cases where the people, who died of natural causes while being in government service, would not be provided with the appointment letters. Now we have made a relaxation and the appointment letters are being given in such cases as well. I believe that the J&K administration is making an endeavour to heal the wounds of all such people,” the Lieutenant Governor remarked.
He, however, refused to make any comment to a question related to criticism of the latest Hindi film “Dhurandhar-2” and the demands for banning it given alleged references to “terror ecosystem in politics and governance system” depicted in it.
“I don’t think I need to comment on that. Whatever I’ve said (during the event), I’ve made it emphatically clear that efforts are being made to eradicate all those people, who had terror links and became part of the government machinery. Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army and the CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) personnel are working hard with perseverance to completely wipe out the entire terror ecosystem,” LG Sinha stated.
Earlier during the event, Lieutenant Governor handed over appointment letters to 37 Next of Kin (NoK) of the victims of terrorism.
Appointment letters were also handed over to 29 NoK of government employees who lost their lives in service and beneficiaries in age relaxation cases, under Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme-2022 and SRO 43.
Paying tribute to the victims of terrorism, the Lieutenant Governor vowed strongest action against the terror ecosystem and terrorist supporters.
“I pledge to the families of terror victims that we will work with full commitment to secure their dignified and honourable lives. We will discharge every duty towards them with utmost seriousness, and we will not rest until justice reaches every family,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
While addressing the gathering, LG Sinha observed that justice to terror victim families was not limited to only punishments but also healing the wounds and restoring dignity.
“Justice also lies in which stories society chooses to remember. Justice also means wiping the tears of grieving families, acknowledging their pain and healing the wounds inflicted on their souls. Justice also means that the stories of terror-victim families, once forgotten, are now being rewritten with renewed memory and honour,” he said.
“We stand at a decisive turning point in J&K today. The youth of the Union Territory and terror victim families aspire to a bright future and wish to live a better life. It is our shared responsibility to make that future a reality and create the opportunities they deserve,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
In the same breath, he issued a stern warning to the remaining elements of the terror ecosystem and conflict entrepreneurs, stating that their era of terror was over.
“The people of Jammu Kashmir know fully well who shielded such terror elements, but that shield is now crumbling. I warn them that there is no longer any safe haven in Jammu Kashmir for terrorists or the networks that support them,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor reiterated that it was his commitment to ensure that every terror victim’s family received the justice, jobs, recognition and support they deserved after years of suffering.
“Terror victim families remained erased from society’s memory for decades. Among all these stories, the most painful and bitter truth is that these families were let down by the very system whose duty and primary obligation was to protect them. I do not see this merely as an administrative lapse but it was a civilisational failure of that time,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
He said that the terror victim families were harassed by elements of the terror ecosystem and the situation was not simply injustice but it was the complete collapse of social morality.
“The elders of the society must ask themselves some tough questions- what kind of society we had become a few decades ago? How did Jammu Kashmir evolve into a system where the victim became a burden that time and those linked to terror were turned into beneficiaries?” he asked.
“I am confident that these questions will shake our conscience, because such practices hollow out every value that makes a society just. Such darkness had extinguished the very spirit of law, trust, and coexistence,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor said those who were part of this terror ecosystem and managed to infiltrate government machinery in the past would face the law and they will be systematically removed from government jobs and punished as per the law.
“Those directly linked to terrorism are being dismissed from service, while decades-long neglected terror-victim families are being given government jobs to secure their economic and social dignity. I see this not merely as a policy correction, but as a new moral declaration for a new Jammu Kashmir,” he asserted.
The Lieutenant Governor said, “This is a clear message that a new order has arrived, one that will punish mercilessly those tied to terrorism and will firmly fulfil its duties to restore the dignity of victims. This moral declaration is the announcement of a system that defines justice not only in words, but in deeds.”
Principal Secretary to Lieutenant Governor, Dr Mandeep K Bhandari; Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department, M Raju; Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar; Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Dr Rakesh Minhas; senior officials, members of various social organisations and family members of victims of terrorism were present.
