BARAMULLA, APRIL 25: Jammu and Kashmir’s Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo on Saturday said any officer facing bribery complaints will not be spared, warning that the government will act on every complaint as she asserted a tough line against corruption.
“If there is any information against any officer, especially for bribery… action will be taken. That officer will not be left like this,” Itoo told Kashmir Convener on the sidelines of a function at Government Degree College for Women in Baramulla.
The remarks come days after the government ordered the attachment of Chief Education Officer (CEO) Baramulla, Abdul Rashid Mir, who also held additional charge as CEO Bandipora.
According to Government Order No. 159-JK (Edu) of 2026 dated April 23, Mir has been attached to the Directorate of School Education Kashmir. The order, issued from the Civil Secretariat Jammu, said the decision was taken by the competent authority. The Joint Director, Education (North) Kashmir, will now look after Mir’s responsibilities.
While the order did not explicitly cite corruption, the attachment is widely being seen as a precursor to disciplinary action. Itoo’s statement on Saturday appeared to signal that more such actions could follow.
Hitting out at critics who questioned the timing of the action, the minister said: “First you say work is not happening. Then when work is happening, when action is happening, you are not happy. Then you say, why did it happen? What do you want?”
The Minister said the Omar Abdullah-led government is committed to transparency and will not shield any officer facing bribery complaints.
In a separate vein, minister Itoo condemned the use of abusive language against women on social media, particularly on Facebook, calling it a reflection of “failure” and “weakness”.
“If you want to have a discussion, you can do it with me. You can discuss with MLAs or the director. However, your failure, your weakness, the way you use abusive language on Facebook — I think it is the biggest humiliation for you,” she said.
The minister said Islam accords the highest respect to sisters and daughters, and pointed to the irony that abuses were being hurled when the head of a particular political party is a woman herself.
Earlier, the minister hit back at People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para, who had recently criticised her in the Legislative Assembly as a “12th pass minister”.
Minister Itoo said she had studied up to higher secondary level and had pursued an MBBS degree before leaving it due to personal circumstances. “Yes, I have done 10+2. After that, I went to pursue MBBS, but I could not complete it due to certain reasons,” she said.
Calling it a “difficult phase” in her life, Itoo said she had not initially planned to enter politics but had to take responsibility following the death of her father, who had no sons. She credited National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah for guiding her in public life.
She said women in public life often face scrutiny over issues that are not raised in the case of male politicians. “Several ministers in the past did not face questions over their educational qualifications,” she said.
The minister also visited GMC Hospital Baramulla and said the government has laid the foundation stone for a drug de-addiction project in the town, expressing hope that the second phase would be completed within a year.
Acknowledging local MLA Javid Hassan Baigh for raising demands in a timely manner, she assured that the government would fulfil them. Itoo also noted that crores of rupees had been left unutilised in GMCs across 12 locations, including Rs 25 crore in Baramulla.
“There have been many achievements in the health sector in the last one-and-a-half years,” she said, adding that efforts have been made to procure equipment and clear hospital premises of garbage. However, she conceded that new GMCs are yet to be fully established and buildings remain incomplete at several places.
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