With an average of one killing every day so far this year, violence across Jammu and Kashmir shows a sharp increase compared to the same period in 2017, data seen by GK reveals.
Ninety people have been killed since the beginning of this year, including 24 civilians and 35 militants, according to data available with the state’s security establishment.
During the corresponding period last year, 55 people were killed in different incidents of armed violence across the state.
The first three days of April this year saw 22 persons killed, including 13 militants, four civilians and five government forces’ personnel.
Earlier in the year, 15 people were killed in two separate suicide attacks carried out by militants on a military camp in Sunjwan of Jammu region and Karan Nagar in Srinagar.
“The figures (for 2017 and 2018) reveal that during current year there has been a killing every day,” said a senior police officer.
Besides the causalities in the two suicide attacks this year, 16 people were killed in January, 21 in February and 29 in March.
In 2016, the year when Burhan Wani was killed, the data reveals 322 incidents of violence were reported in Jammu and Kashmir in which 82 government forces’ personnel, 150 militants and 15 civilians were killed.
In 2015, incidents of violence across the state numbered 208 occurred in which 39 government forces’ personnel, 108 militants and 17 civilians were killed.
The data shows a steady increase in militancy related violence during the past four years.
A senior police officer said popular support for militants has also increased in this period.
“In coming times there will be steep increase in incidents of militancy-related violence,” the officer predicted, adding militant attacks and their other actions could not be underestimated.
The officer said in Shopian alone militants staged four back-to-back attacks on army and police (including on SSP Shopian) in the last fortnight alone. “We can say yesterday’s (Sunday’s) encounters were a repulse (from government forces).” The officer admitted that despite manifold increase in Search and Destroy Operations (SADO), arrests and area domination exercises violence was increasing.