How much has terrorism increased or decreased in Jammu and Kashmir since 2014? read these figures

New Delhi : Tremendous improvement in security arrangements and good participation of people were seen in the assembly elections held this year in Jammu and Kashmir. This was the first assembly election in 2019 after Article 370 was removed and Jammu and Kashmir was made a union territory. How much has the situation in Jammu and Kashmir changed after the BJP government came to power at the Center in 2014? Has terrorism increased or decreased? If it has increased then by how much and if by how much has it decreased? What changes have happened after the removal of Article 370? Presenting the ground report from Jammu and Kashmir by our colleague Bharti Jain of Times of India. There has been a huge reduction in terrorist incidents in 2024 as compared to the year 2014. While there were 222 terrorist incidents in 2014, only 23 incidents have taken place so far this year. There has also been a reduction in the deaths of security forces and common people.

However, except one district of Jammu division, the voting percentage has declined in all the districts compared to the 2014 assembly elections. Experts believe that the recent increase in terrorist activities in Jammu region could be a reason behind this.

Till September 27 this year, 11 civilians and 17 security personnel have died in 15 terrorist attacks and encounters in Jammu region. In a terrorist attack in Reasi district in July, terrorists opened fire on a bus, killing eight passengers and the bus driver.

Of the 13 Jammu and Kashmir districts that went to polls in the first two phases on September 18 and 25, the average turnout in 8 districts was lower compared to the 2014 assembly elections. Of these 13 districts, five are in Jammu region, while three are in Kashmir Valley.

Only one out of six districts of Jammu has seen an increase in voting percentage compared to the 2014 elections, while four out of seven districts of Kashmir have seen an increase in voting percentage. Comparison with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections shows that except Reasi district of Jammu region, there has been less turnout in all the districts in the current elections.

Overall, terrorism-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir have declined from 222 in 2014 to 23 so far this year, of which 15 have been reported in Jammu region and 8 in Kashmir. Martyrdom of security forces personnel has also declined from 47 in 2014 to 25, of which 17 took place in Jammu region alone.

In 2014, 45 terrorists were killed, while in 2014 the number was 110. Of these, 35 including 18 foreign terrorists and 17 local terrorists were killed in Kashmir, while 10 terrorists were eliminated in Jammu.

While in 2014 there were 23 grenade attacks, nine IED blasts and 41 bandh incidents, there have been no such incidents in 2024. “Four of the seven districts – Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama and Srinagar – which were once hotbeds of terrorism, have performed better in terms of voting compared to the 2014 assembly elections,” a security official said.

Another official said the election campaign and the two voting days so far had been peaceful and incident-free, with the separatists not calling for an election boycott but instead participating in the democratic process as candidates. There were also no incidents of law and order challenging like stone pelting, which usually forces Kashmiri voters to stay indoors.

Overall, this time the assembly elections have been conducted in a peaceful and enthusiastic manner due to the improvement in security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and increasing awareness of the people.