1,190 Naxals killed since 2010, reveals RTI query

As many as 1,190 Left Wing Extremists, also called Naxals, have been killed by security forces in the country since 2010, an RTI response has revealed.

There have been 11,567 incidents involving Naxals during the period in which 1,331 security personnel suffered injuries, the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Division, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated in the reply.

The maximum extremists 225 -- were eliminated in 2018, followed by 2016 (222), 2010 (172), 2017 (136), and 2013 (100), according to the reply under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Another 99 Naxals were killed in 2011, 89 in 2015, 74 in 2012, 66 in 2014, and 89 in 2019 (till January 31), it stated.

Noida-based lawyerRanjanTomarhad sought the year-wise data on the incidents of deaths of security personnel and killing of LWEs from the MHA.

The data also revealed a trend of lowering in the number of LWE incidents from 2010, when 2,213 incidents were reported, to 2018, which witnessed 833 incidents.

In 2011, 1,760 incidents took place, in 2012 it came down to 1,415, in 2013 there are 1,136 incidents, 1,091 in 2014, 1,089 in 2015, 1048 in 2016, 908 in 2017, and 74 in 2019 (till January 31), it stated.

The RTI reply did not cite the number of security personnel killed during the period, with Tomar saying he had sought data on casualties.

A separate information put by the MHA on its website states that 7,907 people have been killed by the LWE between 2004 and 2018 (till 31 July).

As many as 90 districts in 11 states of the country are considered as affected by LWE, according to reply made in Parliament by Minister of State in MHA Hansaj Ahir on February 5, 2019.

The affected states include Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, he stated in his reply.

In another reply in Parliament on December 11, 2018, Ahir has stated that 731 civilians and 260 security force personnel have been killed from 2015 till 2018 (November 15).

The data suggests that the number of incidents has come down gradually over the years. But LWE still remains a challenge for the country along with terrorism. The enemy is not only outside the boundaries, but also within and warrants a united fight by the people, Tomar said.