Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) There was no improvement in Maoist-related violence in the country in 2008 over the previous year, but the level of militant violence in Jammu and Kashmir continued to show a declining trend, says a government report.”The Naxal (Maoist) violence during the year 2008 remained at the same level as compared to last year in terms of number of incidents and casualties of security forces. Till November, the number of incidents of violence by naxalites and police/civilian casualties were 1,435 and 658 as compared to 1,420 and 636 for the corresponding period of the year 2007,” said the year-end review report published by the union home ministry Wednesday.

On Jammu and Kashmir, it said that up to November 2008, “terrorist incidents were down by 39 percent, killings of civilians by 41 percent and of security forces by 31 percent over the corresponding period of the previous year. The level of infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC)/international border has also seen a decline.”

“Voters rejected the call of separatists and terrorists and came out in large numbers in Jammu and Kashmir to vote in the assembly elections held in November and December,” the report said.

The overall security situation in the northeastern states also showed signs of improvement, the report said.

It, however, expressed concern over the security situation in Nagaland, Manipur and Assam.

“The overall security situation in the northeastern states improved as is manifest in the reduction in casualties of civilians and increase in numbers of militants killed/arrested/surrendered,” the report said.

“Casualties of civilians and security force personnel decreased to 506 up to Dec 15, 2008, as compared to 577 during the corresponding period in the previous year.”

“4,139 militants were killed or surrendered/arrested during 2008 up to Dec 15, 2008, against 2,975 in the previous year,” the report added.

The report said the communal situation in the country remained largely under control.

“The ministry of home affairs played an active role in helping the state governments of Orissa and Karnataka to control the situation after the incidents of attack on minorities and their religious institutions in these states.”

There were some major terrorist incidents in Rampur, Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Malegaon, Modasa and Mumbai.

“As a result of co-ordinated action by the central and state intelligence and security agencies, 11 ISI-backed espionage modules were neutralised during the year up to Dec 1, 2008, and a large number of terrorist modules of Pak-based terrorist outfits were busted in different parts of the country by the state and central agencies,” the report added.