Jammu Jan 12: In Erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State as three Assistant Training Officers appointed on the fake letter with ‘forged signatures’ of Secretary, SSRB continued to draw salaries for the last about three years besides enjoying other service benefits.
Official sources said that this big recruitment fraud was believed to be committed with the active connivance of some insiders in the J&K Services Selection Board and the Handicrafts Department Kashmir, just to accommodate three blue eyed persons including two relatives of influential bureaucrats and another, a family member of a leader from ruling party, about three years ago.
It was revealed that three persons, namely 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 were appointed as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers in Kashmir Division vide Recruitment Board’s letter No. SSB/ Secy/ Sel/ AA/ 2017/2745-47 dated 15-03-2018, issued by the then Secretary JKSSB, Tassaduq Hussain Mir, now Additional Commissioner in the Office of Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.
Thereafter, the then Director Handicrafts, J&K, Mushtaq Ahmed vide order No 380-HD of 2018 dated 26-04-2018, with reference to the Administrative approval vide leter No. Ind/DOH-92/97-IV dated 19-4-2018 , appointed these three persons as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers in Kashmir in the pay scale of 9300-34800 +4200 GP plus other allowances.
While Ruby Jan, a close relative of an officer in the Directorate of Handicrafts Kashmir was posted in district Kulgam, the two other blue eyed persons- Sajjad Hussain and Arif Ahmed were placed in Baramulla district.
Sources further revealed that these people were drawing an average salary of nearly Rs 70,000 per month with other benefits and during last three years, they have exerted burden of nearly Rs 75 lakhs on the Government exchequer.
Moreover, they deprived the other competent and deserving youth of their right.
This big fraud came to the lime light after the then Secretary JKSSB, Tassaduq Hussain Mir (Now Additional Commissioner, Kashmir), wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police, Crime J&K, MK Sinha on 04-12-2020, stating that he has come to know that on the fake and forged letter of JKSSB bearing No. SSB/ Secy/Sel/2017/2745-47 dated 15-03-2018, forwarded to Commissioner/ Secretary to Govt Industries and Commerce Department, appointments of three persons as Assistant Handicrafts Training Officers have been made. Mir further claimed that he has never recommended such appointments and moreover, letter carries his forged signatures. He also pleaded to register an FIR in this connection and investigate the whole case.