Three-fold increase in terrorist casualty, LS told

New Delhi, December 6

The government today claimed in the Lok Sabha that there was a three-fold increase in the number of terrorists who were killed in Jammu and Kashmir this year. But at the same time it said, the casualty of security personnel also went up by over 80 per cent as compared to last year.

Giving this information in the Lok Sabha today in a written reply, Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said 140 terrorists were killed this year, while the figure stood at 46 last year. Even in cases of arrest, the number increased from 10 last year to 76 this year, which is a seven-fold rise.

He said the number of Army personnel killed this year stands at 71. This count had been showing a declining trend up till last year with 53 fatalities in 2013, 47 in 2014 and 39 in 2015.

Responding to query on the number of terror incidents in the state, Ahir said there had 305 this year till November, whereas the number stood at 208 last year. The minister also told the House that Pakistan had violated ceasefire on the Line of Control and the International Border 437 times in which 37 persons were killed and 179 suffered injuries. 

Ahir said 27,449 people living along the border in the state were temporarily shifted to safer places due to the ceasefire violations after the surgical strikes. — TNS