Guwahati: A total of 510 extremists, including 223 in Assam, were eliminated by the security forces in the northeast in the past five years — from 2014 till May 31, 2019 — the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. As many as 382 civilians and 113 security forces personnel also lost their lives during this period.
“The security situation in the northeastern states has improved substantially during the last five years. In 2018, the number of insurgency-related incidents decreased by 66% (2013 - 732, 2018 - 252), civilian deaths by 79% (2013 - 107, 2018 - 23) and security forces casualties by 23% (2013 - 18, 2018 - 14),” said Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy in reply to a question from BJP MP Vishnu Datt Sharma.
The minister said 181 militants were killed in 2014, 149 in 2015, 87 in 2016, 57 in 2017, 34 in 2018 and two militants killed in counter-insurgency operations this year till May 31.
As far as state-wise data is concerned, 42 militants were killed in Arunachal Pradesh in the last five years and nine security personnel lost their lives in 237 incidents that also resulted in 18 civilian casualties.
In 938 insurgency-related incidents in Assam since 2014, 12 security personnel and 219 civilians lost their lives (in 2014 alone, 168 civilian casualties were recorded in 246 incidents).
In Manipur, 107 extremists were killed in 1,084 insurgency-related incidents in the last five years. A total of 77 civilians and 58 jawans lost their lives during this period.
As many as 84 militants, 51 civilians and 14 security personnel were killed in Meghalaya, while 54 militants were killed in Nagaland since 2014, which also resulted in the death of 15 security personnel and 16 civilians.
In Tripura, one civilian and two jawans were killed in nine incidents during 2014-15. Only eight insurgency-related incidents and zero civilian casualty were recorded in Mizoram in the last five years, in which three security personnel lost their lives.
Reddy said, “The Central government is following a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the security situation in the northeast which comprises security-related measures and development and rehabilitation initiatives.”
“The Centre is supplementing the efforts of the state government through various measures such as deployment of Central Armed Police Forces, financial assistance for strengthening the state police forces and intelligence agencies, raising of India Reserve Battalions and rehabilitation of surrendered militants, reimbursement of security related expenditure to state governments, banning insurgent groups as ‘unlawful association’ and ‘terrorists organisation’ under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, declaring specific areas/states as disturbed areas for the purpose of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958) and issuing notifications for Unified Command Structure,” he added.
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