Srinagar, Nov 8: Several lawmakers raised serious concerns on Friday about the police verification process that has led to recruits being denied jobs.

During the motion of thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s address, Congress Chief whip Nizam-ud-Din Bhat urged the Chief Minister to reconsider the policy and review specific cases.

Bhat highlighted the case of Sabia Mushtaq, a young orphan from Bandipora who was twice selected as a lecturer on open merit but was prevented from joining because her juvenile brother was once accused of stone pelting, despite having been cleared by the court.

Bhat also brought up the case of journalist Sajad Gul, currently detained under the Public Safety Act. He noted that Sajad’s brother was denied employment due to existing service verification rules.

The Congress leader pointed out that there was a time when former gunmen were permitted to represent people in the Assembly, yet today, those with merit and ordinary job seekers are denied the right to earn a livelihood.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to personally review these cases to ensure that the verification process doesn’t unfairly penalize individuals for the unrelated actions of their family members.

MLA and chairman of the People’s Conference, Sajad Lone, also urged an end to discriminatory police verification practices, noting their impact on daily life beyond just passport applications.

“I have personally experienced this discrimination and understand the struggles of our people. We should strive for equal dignity, as seen in states like Haryana and Maharashtra, where the respect of our people is upheld,” he said during his remarks on the motion of thanks.

UNI