High no. of casualties belies Centre’s claims

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 21

Notwithstanding tall claims of the BJP-led NDA government’s “decisive war” and “zero-tolerance” against terrorism in the Kashmir valley, the terror-related incidents have led to many civilian casualties in Jammu and Kashmir where 130 civilians have been killed and 411 left injured by terrorists from 2016 to November 10 this year.

According to the official statistics, a total of 1,864 terror-related incidents have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir between January 2016 and November 10 this year in which terrorists have killed 130 civilians and injured 411 persons.

The civilians belonging to J&K were the worst victims of terror activities as 106 of them were shot dead by terrorists, while 166 sustained injuries in these incidents.

In 2016, at least 322 terror-related incidents were reported in J&K which claimed the lives of 15 civilians, while 66 were injured.

“As many as 40 civilians were killed while 99 were injured in 342 terror incidents in J&K during 2017. However, 2018 witnessed highest number of terror incidents when 39 civilians lost their lives and 63 were injured in 614 incidents,” the official statistics revealed.

The bloodbath did not stop in the current year as well when at least 586 incidents of terrorism have been reported till November 10 claiming the lives of 36 civilians and injuring 183.

If one looks at the state-wise civilians killed in terror incidents in J&K for the period, all the 15 civilians killed in terror incidents in 2016 were from J&K, while 66 injured were from Punjab (1), Bihar (1), MP (8) and J&K (56).

“In 2017, two civilians from UP, one from Jharkhand, five from Gujarat, two from Maharashtra and 30 from J&K were killed, while 99 injured were two from UP, 11 from Gujarat, nine from Maharashtra and 77 from J&K.

“Last year (2018), 38 civilians from J&K and one from UP were killed in these incidents while 63 injured included one from Bihar and 62 from J&K,” the statistics stated. The statistics revealed, “As many as 13 non-locals have been killed by militants in various terror incidents, a majority of them in Kashmir.