Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday terminated the services of two more government employees for their “deep involvement in anti-national activities”.

This takes the number of such terminations to 80, according to The Indian Express.

The lieutenant governor’s office said that Basharat Ahmad Mir, an assistant wireless operator with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, and Ishtiyak Ahmad Malik, a senior assistant in the Union territory’s roads and buildings department, had been dismissed under Article 311 of the Constitution.

This provision protects civil servants from arbitrary dismissal but allows exceptions on the grounds of national security.

Mir, a resident of Srinagar, was “under intelligence radar on the basis of highly credible inputs from agencies that he was in continuous touch with Pakistan intelligence operatives”, the lieutenant governor’s office alleged in a press release.

Mir was “sharing critical and vital information to the adversary about security installations and deployment with the enemies”, it claimed, adding that he had access to “vital information” about national security as he was a trained police officer.

“His actions posed a significant threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India having potential to comprise broader national security interest of India,” the lieutenant governor’s office said.

On the other hand, Malik, who is from Anantnag district, was allegedly listed as an active member of the banned socio-religious group Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and an associate of the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

“He, as a key functionary of JeI [Jamaat-e-Islami], played a crucial role in strengthening the organisation within his sphere of influence,” it said. “He also facilitated creation of network of sympathisers who later became overground workers and foot soldiers of Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit”.

The lieutenant governor’s office also claimed that Malik “covertly facilitated terrorist activities of Hizbul Mujahideen by providing food, shelter and other logistics to the terrorists and played a significant role in aiding, facilitating, guiding and abetting terrorist activities especially in South Kashmir”.

He used to provide “crucial intelligence to the terrorists regarding movement of security forces, helping them to evade capture and launch counter attacks often resulting in casualties among security forces”, the statement alleged.

A “zero tolerance policy” had been adopted towards “anti-national elements” taking advantage of being in the government service, it said.

In February, Sinha had dismissed three government employees for having suspected ties to militants.

Opposition parties had criticised Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for not halting the terminations.

Abdullah’s ruling National Conference had pledged to review such orders in its 2024 Assembly election manifesto. The party won the Assembly polls in October.

“As per the law, everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” Abdullah had said. “If there is evidence against them, and they fail to justify themselves after being given a chance, then the action is justified. However, if they are dismissed without being heard, it goes against the principle that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”