J&K Sees 70% Drop In Terror Activities, Civilian Casualties Still A Concern
NDTV
A steep decline in the number of terrorists killed in various operations and encounters with security forces in five years has also been recorded, sending alarm bells ringing in government circles.
Jammu and Kashmir recorded a decline of over 70 per cent in terror-related activities in the past five years but civilian killings continue to remain a major concern amid a surge in such cases in the region this year, a top bureaucrat in the Home Ministry informed a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan said the Union territory registered a considerable drop in civilian killings over the past five years, but the figure stands higher this year in comparison to last year. Besides, a steep decline in the number of terrorists killed in various operations and encounters with security forces during the given period has also been recorded, sending alarm bells ringing in government circles.
The information was provided at a time when Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing a marked escalation in terror attacks and counter-terrorism operations, especially after the assembly elections - the first in a decade - in September and October.
The ministry said that as many as 50 civilians were killed in 2019 in the Union territory. While the figure came down to 14 by the first week of November this year, it is nearly three times more than what was recorded last year, when five civilians were killed by terrorists.
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