Story in numbers

Punjab has witnessed 34 terrorist attacks in 27 years, the highest nationwide, according to government data. The majority of the attacks occurred during the 1990s, with the latest attacks reinforcing a view that India's security forces cannot cope with small bands of terrorists. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Delhi have witnessed 27 and 18 attacks, respectively, during the same period, according to data from the ministry of home affairs.

A majority of the 34 attacks in Punjab were between sikh militancy years of 1990 and 1992. The 16 years between 2000 and 2015 saw three attacks in Punjab. Maharashtra (primarily Mumbai) and J&K have seen more attacks in this period. A terror attack at an air force base in Pathankot, Punjab, has claimed the life of seven soldiers, including Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan E Kumar of the National Security Guard.

India has witnessed 136 terrorist attacks in the past 27 years, including the one at Pathankot, the data show. About 2,000 people died in these attacks, and more than 6,000 were injured, according to the latest home ministry data. Of the 135 attacks, 121 attacks were on civilians and 14 attacks on very important persons.