On 1 May last year, a document did the rounds of social media in Kashmir and was shared, among others, by Mehbooba Mufti, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. It was the termination letter issued to Idrees Jan, a teacher at the Government Middle School in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district. 

It stated that Jan had been terminated from service under the provisions of Article 311(2)(c); he had spent 20 years in government service.

The man at the centre of the drama recalls the events of that fateful day: “I was told to report to the naib tehsildar’s office to receive some papers from the administration. When I reached, I saw the whole office yard was packed with security personnel. I was handed a yellow envelope and when I opened it, I was shocked to see my dismissal order, under Article 311, stating that I was a threat to national security.” 

While the dismissal left Jan shocked, what hurt even more (and does to this day) is this line in