Stone pelting has almost completely ended in Jammu and Kashmir, with data accessed by News18 revealing a 99 per cent dip in incidents since the first half of 2020.
The data also says that for the same period, the number of casualties among security forces came down by 60 per cent, though IEDs remain a concern.
This year also saw the G20 meeting being held in Srinagar. The Union Home Ministry keeps an eye on J&K and holds meetings at regular intervals to discuss the law and order situation. The positive results in the Union Territory can be credited to the leadership of Home Minister Amit Shah who regularly takes stock of development and security issues.
Jammu and Kashmir has been high on the Narendra Modi government’s agenda. The prime minister, on several occasions, has termed the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 as the establishment of democracy in the UT, noting that it is time for the youth to push forward development and shun violence and militancy. From holding panchayat elections, inaugurating several projects like AIIMS, universities and roads to reaching out to Kashmiri Pandits, PM Modi has been on a mission to give J&K the much-needed makeover.
According to the data, a total of 324 incidents of stone pelting were registered by local authorities in the first six months of 2020. Next year, such incidents saw a dip and fell to 179. Similarly, in 2022 and 2023, for the same period, the total number of incidents reported were 50 and 3.
In another positive development, the number of security personnel martyred in J&K has seen a massive dip since 2020, with the figure coming down from 32 to 11.
There has also been a dip in the recovery of explosives and grenades from Jammu and Kashmir. In 2021, close to 68 kilograms of explosives were recovered by security forces. The number is nil this year in the first half. Grenade recoveries have fallen from 266 in 2020 to 83 in 2023. A total of 728 grenades and 102.75 kilograms of explosives have been recovered from J&K since 2020 to the first half of 2023, data revealed.
The security operations by forces in J&K and local police have resulted in a slump in the number of terrorists in the Union Territory. This has also pulled down arms recovery from 246 to 73, hinting at less supply of arms in the Valley. According to the data available, 770 arms have been recovered between 2020 and the first six months of 2023.
However, despite the positive trends, IEDs remain a major challenge as the recoveries have shown a rise. While 2020 had no recoveries of IEDs, in 2021, five IEDs were recovered. In 2022, this number rose to 17 and in 2023, it stood at 15.
In the last Parliament session, the home ministry had said that the government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and the security situation has improved significantly in Jammu and Kashmir.
“A robust security and intelligence grid is in place to thwart any attempt of terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Further, steps taken by the government to prevent terrorist incidents and to safeguard the lives of civilians in the Valley include group security in form of static guards, round-the-clock checking at ‘Nakas’ at strategic points, night patrolling and area domination, identification of vulnerable spots, security arrangement through appropriate deployment of police, army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and intensified Cordon and Search Operations,” MHA had said in a reply.
Less Infiltration
The ministry had also said in Parliament that the government has adopted a well-coordinated and multi-pronged strategy to tackle cross-border infiltration. This includes tactical deployment of forces at International Border (IB)/Line of Control (LoC), use of technology like surveillance cameras, night vision cameras, heat sensing gadgets, etc., multi-tiered deployment along IB/LoC, border fencing, deployment of intelligence personnel to collect advance and target-oriented inputs on infiltration, ambushes and foot-patrolling by Army/Border Security Force (BSF), establishment of Border Police Posts for generating local intelligence and taking pro-active action against infiltrators.
