A major recruitment scam in the Handicrafts Department in Kashmir has raised several questions on competency of the department. This scam is regarding a fake recruitment letter with forged signatures from the J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB), using which three Assistant Training Officers get appointed. These officers even got salaries for around three years with other service benefits of government employees.
Official sources told that some insiders in the J&K Services Selection Board and the Handicrafts Department Kashmir committed this recruitment fraud to provide jobs to three people including two relatives of influential bureaucrats and another, a family member of a leader from ruling party. If this fraud had not been exposed, these people might have been inducted into KAS in next promotion.
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These three persons who committed fraud to get appointed as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers in Kashmir Division are Mir Sajjad Hussain, son of Gulam Mohideen Mir, resident of Pandrarthan in Srinagar; Ruby Jan, daughter of Gulam Nabi Bhat from Nowbugh in Anantnag and Arif Ahmed Bhat, son of Gh Rasool Bhat, resident of Pinglana in Pulwama.
Ruby Jan, a close relative of an officer working in the Directorate of Handicrafts Kashmir was posted in district Kulgam, while the two Sajjad Hussain and Arif Ahmed were working in Baramulla district. These people were receiving an average salary of around Rs 70,000 per month with other benefits. Moreover, during the last three years, they have burdened government around Rs 75 lakhs. Other than that, these people deprived other competent and deserving youth of their right.
This fraud was exposed when the then Secretary JKSSB, Tassaduq Hussain Mir (Now Additional Commissioner, Kashmir), addressed a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Crime J&K, MK Sinha on 4 December 2020, stating that he got to know of fake and forged letter of JKSSB for appointments of three persons as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers. Mir said that he has never made recommendations for these people and there are his forged signature on the letter. He requested to register an FIR and investigate the whole fraud case.
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Shafqat Islam, Director Handicrafts/Handloom, Kashmir said that he learned about the issue after receiving a letter from Crime Branch, forwarded by the Additional Commissioner Kashmir, Tassaduq Hussain Mir. These appointments based on a fraud letter are cancelled and an inquiry has been launched in this case.