Government data shows that Jammu and Kashmir has seen a sharp rise in grenade and IED attacks and targeted killings this year as compared to last year. In the past two days alone, five civilians were shot dead in targeted attacks by terrorists. As of September 2020, terrorists carried out 34 grenade attacks on security forces and civilians, according to government data accessed by News18. This year the figure rose to 44 for the same period.
There was also a massive 600% increase in attacks using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). Last year only one such attack was reported in the Valley, while till September this year there have been seven such attacks. Security forces have successfully defused 40 IEDs this year as well, which is nine more than last year.
However, the number of kidnappings by terrorists has come down significantly from nine in 2020 to one so far this year. The biggest concern for the security forces is the targeted killings, where civilians are now being killed by terrorists. According to government data, there have been 34 such attacks in the union territory this year as against 31 last year.
While five civilians were killed in the last two days, the death toll in the last five days has gone up to seven. Four of the seven minorities were from Hindu and Sikh communities. Of these, six deaths have been reported from Srinagar.
The principals of Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Idgah, Srinagar, Supinder Kaur and Deepak Chand were shot dead on Thursday morning at around 11:15 am in the school premises.
Makhan Lal Bindru, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit and owner of Srinagar’s most famous pharmacy, was shot dead at his shop on Tuesday. Apart from this, a chaat hawker, Virendra Paswan from Bihar and another civilian, Mohammad Shafi Lone were also killed in Srinagar and Bandipora on Tuesday.
On Saturday, terrorists shot dead Majid Ahmed Gojri in Srinagar and Mohammad Shafi Dar in Batamaloo. In another incident, unidentified terrorists lobbed grenades targeting a platoon outpost of CRPF’s 161 Battalion at Baripora in Srinagar on Thursday night. The grenade exploded outside the boundary wall and no casualty has been reported.
The government figures showed 71 incidents of violence against security forces as of last year till September this year. The data showed a decline in the number of reported encounters in Jammu and Kashmir. There were 92 encounters last year and 59 till September this year.
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