Chhattisgarh has witnessed a surge in Maoist attacks this year at a time when other Naxal-affected states have shown a decrease.
The country as a whole has shown a marginal decrease in Maoist incidents this year — 972 incidents until November 20 this year as against 977 during the same period last year. Apart from Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, all the other 11 states, which have presence of Maoists, have shown a declining trend in Maoist violence.
Chhattisgarh has witnessed 411 incidents this year as against 291 during the corresponding period last year and this spike in numbers has resulted in keeping the country’s yearly figure almost similar to that of last year.
Jharkhand, which is usually on the top of the list, has shown a decrease in incidents this year — from 338 incidents last year to 287 this year. This tribal state has recorded the most number of incidents in the past years but this time, Chhattisgarh has overtaken it.
Though the number of incidents has shown a 141 per cent increase in Chhattisgarh, the number of civilian and security personnel deaths is steady. This year, 44 civilians were killed as against 48 last year while the number of security personnel killed in action remained at 45 both years.
Overall, there were 972 incidents in the country this year as against 977 last year. However, the civilian casualty has come down to 154 from 202. The number of security personnel killed has also come down from 72 to 56.
The Union Home Ministry does not accept that there is an increase in Maoist attacks. In a written reply in Lok Sabha last week, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said that Naxal activities have been declining since 2011.
DH News Service