Agencies:

64% decrease in militancy incidents in 2020: Reports

January 11, 2021

Year 2020 has seen sharp decrease in militancy related incidents and civilian casualties in J&K, a Ministry of Home Affairs� report has revealed.

As per the report title �Major activities of MHA during 2020 � A summary of important developments during the year� the number of militancy incidents in 2020 �decreased by 63.93 % as compared to the corresponding period in 2019� in J&K.

It says that there was also a decrease in fatalities of Special Forces Personnel by 29.11 % and a decrease in casualties of civilians by 14.28 % in 2020 as compared to the corresponding period in 2019.

A senior MHA official told that 42 civilians were killed in militancy related incidents in J&K in 2019. �As compared to this, 32 civilians were killed in J&K in 2020,� he said, adding that in 2019 as many as 78 security forces personnel were killed in J&K. �In 2020 as many as 56 security forces personnel were killed in J&K.�

�Incidents of violence have reduced significantly in Kashmir after August 5 last year and security forces have achieved major success against militants,� the senior MHA official said, adding that soon after the abrogation of Article 370, �militancy related activities reduced by around 36% in Kashmir last year�.

�Some wanted militants like Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo, Lashkar commander Haider, Jaish commander Kari Yasir and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind Burhan Koka have been killed by security forces in 2020,� the official said, adding that the security forces have also busted lot of militant hideouts in Kashmir besides recovering huge weapons including scores of AK 47 rifles.

Ever since the abrogation of J&K�s special status, the MHA official said that both the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) have witnessed an escalation in ceasefire violations. �There were 5,100 instances of ceasefire violation along the LoC in 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir,� the official said. �It was the highest in nearly 18 years that claimed 36 lives and left more than 130 people injured.�