41% decline in Maoist-linked violence in 6 years, says MHA

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New Delhi, April 26

The violence perpetrated by the Left Wing Extremists (LWEs) in India dipped by 41 per cent in 2020 as compared with 2013, while deaths caused by Maoists fell by 54 per cent in the same period.

Footprint shrinks

• In 2013, violence was reported from 76 districts spread over 10 states
• In 2020, the LWE-affected districts reduced to 53 spread across nine states

REASONS

• Greater presence and increased capacity of security forces
• Better operational strategy and monitoring of development schemes

The geographical spread of such incidents has also come down by 88 per cent.

In its annual report for 2020-21 the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said the LWE-induced violence was reported from 226 police stations in 53 districts spread across nine states in 2020 as compared with 328 police stations in 76 districts spread over 10 states in 2013.

“The last six years have seen a significant fall in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence as well as the geographical spread of the LWE. The declining trend which started in 2011 continues in 2020,” the report read.

“There have been 41 per cent reduction in violent incidents (1,136 to 665) and 54 per cent reduction (397 to 183) in LWE-related deaths in 2020 as compared to 2013,” it said.

In comparison to 2019, year 2020 saw the same level of violence with marginal decline (670 to 665) in incidents and the resultant deaths by 9 per cent (202 to 183). The casualties among security forces reduced by 17 per cent (52 to 43).

At the same time, the developmental outreach by the Central government has seen an increasingly large number of LWE cadre shunning the path of violence and returning to the mainstream, the MHA claimed in its report.

In 2020, Chhattisgarh with 315 incidents and 111 deaths remained the worst-affected state, followed by Jharkhand (199 incidents and 39 deaths), Odisha (50 incidents and nine deaths), Maharashtra (30 incidents and eight deaths) and Bihar (26 incidents and eight deaths).