42% decline in locals joining militant outfits in J&K: Govt

Mukesh Ranjan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 3

The recruitment of local youths by terror outfits in Jammu and Kashmir has come down by nearly 42 per cent since the special provisions under Article 370 of the Constitution were abrogated and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two UTs, said officials in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

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Quoting figures provided by intelligence agencies, the officials said during the one-year period prior to August 5, 2019, around 172 locals joined different terrorists groups, but after August 5, 2019, and till date, recruitment of such youths fell by around 42 per cent (from 172 to 100).

They also said the infiltration bids into India along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir had also seen a decreasing trend. Against 241 such incidents previous year, there were 162 attempts since August 5, 2019, they said.

Sharing a comprehensive analysis of the data gathered from different agencies since the constitutional changes were made last year, the MHA officials said it established a fact that separatists, who used to give call for strikes in Kashmir now and then, were in a complete disarray. The trend is the result of the government’s continued crackdown on them and seizing their bank accounts and attaching assets, they added.