Srinagar, July 30(KNS): A total of 28 people, including civilians and security personnel, were killed in 11 terror-initiated incidents and 24 encounters or counter-terror operations up to July 21 this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In response to a query from BJP MP Pradeep Kumar Singh, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai provided a written reply, indicating a “decline in the number of terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir” compared to previous years.

Rai shared data showing that 14 security personnel and 14 civilians were killed up to July 21 this year, while the number of killings in 2023 was 44 (30 security personnel and 14 civilians) across 46 terrorist-initiated incidents and 48 encounters or counter-terror operations in the Union Territory.

According to the data, 146 people (91 security personnel and 55 civilians) were killed in 228 terrorist-initiated incidents and 189 encounters or counter-terror operations in 2018. Rai also noted 1328 organized stone-pelting incidents and 52 organized Hartals in 2018, based on information from the Jammu and Kashmir government.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Rai attributed the decline in terror incidents to the central government’s “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism. He outlined the approach of dismantling the terror ecosystem and strengthening security measures to maintain stability in Jammu and Kashmir.

The strategies to address terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir include continuous actions against terrorists and their support structures, dismantling the terror ecosystem using a whole-government approach, and cracking down on terror finance. These actions involve seizing and attaching properties of terrorists and their associates, banning anti-national organizations, identifying and investigating supporters of terrorism, preventing infiltration, enhancing the counter-insurgency grid, and modernizing security equipment.

Additional measures include round-the-clock checkpoints, intensified Cordon and Search Operations (CASO), real-time intelligence sharing among security forces, and day and night area dominance.(KNS).