Nearly 75 pc fall in J&K terror, encounters, casualties in five years till 2023: MHA officials to House panel
In a presentation before the panel headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, the ministry highlighted its major achievements from various divisions including those handling left-wing extremism (LWE), counterterrorism, internal security, cybercrime, border management and disaster management.
Thirty security personnel died in operations in 2023, down 67% from 91 in 2018, as per the ministry. Terrorist-initiated incidents declined to 94 in 2023 from 417 in 2018, it said.
Recently, there has been a spurt in terrorist incidents and encounters in J&K, following the formation of the Omar Abdullah government . But the data shared by the ministry was only till 2023.
It further said that there were no incidents of stone pelting and hartals or bandh in 2023, marking a 100% reduction since 2018, while civilian casualties declined to 14 in 2023 against 55 in 2018.
After the abrogation of Article 370, all central laws apply to the Union Territory and as many as 21.1 million tourists visited J&K in 2023, according to the ministry’s note presented to the panel. While Ladakh was carved out as a separate UT in 2019, the ministry’s presentation covered both J&K and Ladakh to highlight development initiatives including the vibrant village programme along the Line of Actual Control. There is a proposal to build vibrant villages along other borders, except northern borders, the panel was informed.
On counterterrorism, MHA informed that 57 individuals have been designated as terrorists since the amendment to the UAPA. They include Dawood Ibrahim, JeM chief Maulana Masood Ansari, LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, pro-Khalistans Arshdeep Singh, Goldy Brar, Lakhbir Singh and Wadhwa Singh. A total of 22 organisations have been declared ‘unlawful association’ while 45 outfits have been declared ‘terrorist organisation’, the panel was informed.
Decline in LWE incidents
About LWE, the panel was told that there was a 73% decline in the number of incidents in the five years till 2023 and 86% reduction in 2023 as compared to 2010. The number of LWE-affected districts has come down to 38 in 2024 from 126 in 2014. Similarly, the number of worst-affected LWE districts has fallen to 12 in 2024 from 35 in 2014.
