MHA claims Naxal violence reduced by 77 per cent in 2021

NEW DELHI: Incidence of Leftwing extremism reduced by 77 per cent from an all-time high of 2,258 cases in 2009 to 509 in 2021, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha here today.

Indicating a sharp decline in the Naxal violence across six states – Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha and Bihar – the MHA said that deaths (of civilians and security men) resulting from the Maoist insurgency also reduced by 85 per cent from the peak of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021.

Chhattisgarh, however, took the lead in the number of deaths of security personnel. While 22 paramilitary force jawans and policemen were killed in 2019, the number went up to 36 the next years and followed by 45 in 2021.

Only six security men were killed in Leftwing extremist violence till June this year.

“The geographical spread of the violence has also reduced as only 46 districts reported LWE-related violence in 2021 as compared to 96 districts in 2010. The decline in geographical spread is also reflected in reduced number of districts covered under the Security Related Expenditure scheme. The number of SR districts reduced from 126 to 90 in April 2018 and further to 70 in July 2021,” the MHA said.

The government said that the curb in Naxal-related violence was the outcome of a national policy and action plan launched in 2015.

The police, according to the MHA, envisages a “multi-pronged strategy involving security-related measures, development interventions, ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities etc”.