Civilian deaths go up in Kashmir

New Delhi: There was a 166 per cent increase in civilian casualties in Jammu and Kashmir last year as compared to 2016, while there was an increase of 42 per cent in the number of militants eliminated by the security forces in the State during the same period. Similarly, there was a drop of 2.44 per cent in casualties among security forces last year over the previous corresponding period.

According to Home Ministry’s annual report for 2017-18 ever since militancy started in the State in 1990 as many as 13,976 civilians and 5,123 security personnel have been killed as of December 31, 2017. 

The report states that there was an increase of 6.21 per cent in terror incidents last year over the previous year as 2017 saw 342 such attacks leading to the killing of 80 security personnel, 40 civilians and 213 terrorists. During the same period in 2016, a total of 322 incidents of terror attacks were reported in the state leading to casualties of 82 security personnel, 15 civilians and 150 terrorists.

Infiltration attempts from across the border also witnessed an increase  from 371 in 2016 to 406 in 2017. Out of these, 123 infiltrations were successful in 2017 as compared to 119 in 2016. The report mentions the Centre along with the state government has put in place a multiple strategy to check infiltration by further strengthening of the border infrastructure as well as putting in place a multi-tiered security deployment along the International Border and Line of Control. It has been the endeavour of the government to allow security forces to follow a proactive and co-ordinated measures to check cross-border terror, it said.