New Delhi, July 30: As many as 14 security forces personnel and as many civilians have been killed in 11 terror attacks till July 21 this year.
In a written reply to a query posed by BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh on behalf of the MHA, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Lower House that a total of 28 people, including 14 security men, and as many civilians, have been killed in “11 terror-initiated incidents and 24 encounters or counter-terror operations” till July 21 this year.
Rai, said there is a decline in the number of terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir” compared to previous years, noting that 44 (30 security personnel and 14 civilians) were killed in 46 terrorist-initiated incidents and 48 encounters in the Union Territory in the year 2023.
As per the MHA data, 146 people (91 security personnel and 55 civilians) were killed in 228 terrorist-initiated incidents and 189 encounters in the erstwhile state in 2018.
“There were 1328 organized stone pelting incidents and 52 organized Hartals in 2018,” said the Minister, citing the data received from the Jammu and Kashmir administration, while attributing the “decline” in terror-related incidents in the former state to the BJP-led Centre’s “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism.
“The approach of the Government is to dismantle the terror ecosystem. Security measures are being strengthened to sustain peace and stability in Jammu and Kashmir,” Rai said.
He asserted that the strategies adopted and actions taken to contain acts of terror in Jammu and Kashmir include “effective, continuous, and sustained actions against terrorists and support structures, as well as the dismantling of the terror ecosystem using a whole-government approach.”
“Crackdown on terror finance, such as seizure and attachment of properties belonging to terrorists and their associates under relevant sections of law and banning of anti-national organizations, preventive operations involve identifying the strategic supporters of terrorism and initiating investigations to expose their mechanisms of aiding and abetting terrorism, multi-pronged strategy to prevent infiltration, enhancement of counter-insurgency grid, and special focus on modernization and strengthening of security equipment, are among key steps that have been taken by the government to banish terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir.”
Besides, round-the-clock nakas at strategic points, intensified Cordon and Search Operations (CASO) to effectively deal with the challenges posed by terrorist organizations, and sharing of intelligence inputs on a real-time basis, among all security forces, operating in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as day and night area dominance are other strategies adopted and actions taken for containing acts of terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, said the Minister.
