Maoist violence has claimed over 12,000 lives in two decades

As many as 12,000 people have lost their lives in Maoist violence over the last two decades and of these, 2,700 were personnel of security forces.

According to a statistics prepared by the home ministry, those killed include 9,300 civilians who were either killed by the Naxals, labelling them as ‘police informers’, or were victims in crossfire.

However, the violence perpetrated by the Naxals has declined by 25% in last three years, notwithstanding occasional reverses suffered by the security forces.

There has been a decline of 25%in Left Wing Extremism-related violence and casualties to security forces dropped by as much as 42% during May 2014-April 2017 as compared to May 2011April 2014, a home ministry official said.

The April 24 assault on a CRPF road opening party that claimed lives of 25 personnel was the deadliest since the April 2010 attack in Dantewada, also in Chhattisgarh, in which 76 personnel were killed.

The elimination of Naxal cadres rose by a sharp 65% and the surrenders by the extremists recorded 185% increase, the official said.

The home ministry officials said currently 90% of Maoist activities were limited to 35 districts, though they have a hold over pockets in 68 districts in 10 states.

To tackle the menace of Left Wing Extremism, the central government has launched the ‘National Policy and Action Plan’ comprising of security, development and ensuring rights and entitlements of the local communities.

Under this plan, as many as 307 fortified police stations were constructed in Naxalhit areas in last three years.

Besides, 1,391 km roads were constructed in some of the most difficult areas under the road requirement plan phase-I. A total of 5,412 km of additional roads were approved for construction in nine Naxal-hit areas at a cost of Rs 11,725 crore.