India had more terror attacks than Pak in 2016, says US report
IRAQ WITH 2,965 AND AFGHANISTAN WITH 1,340 ATTACKS WERE RANKED FIRST AND SECOND, FOLLOWED BY INDIA (927 ATTACKS) AND PAKISTAN (734)
has witnessed the third highest number of terrorist attacks in 2016, more than Pakistan that has slipped to the fourth position, according to the latest data compiled by the US state department.
Iraq with 2,965 terrorist attacks and Afghanistan with 1,340 terrorist attacks, were ranked first and second position respectively, followed by India (927) and Pakistan (734), the department said in its annual Country Report on Terrorism.
The department said more than half of the attacks in India in 2016 took place in four states: Jammu and Kashmir at 19%, Chhattisgarh at 18%, Manipur at 12%, and Jharkhand at 10%.
This geographic pattern is relatively stable compared to 2015, with the exception of Jammu and Kashmir, which experienced an increase of 93% in attacks in 2016.
It said the number of terrorist attacks has increased by 16% in India and the total number of deaths by 17% in 2016.
Although India ranked third among countries that experienced the most terror attacks in 2016, the lethality of these attacks remained relatively low compared to other countries that also experienced a great deal of terror violence.
On average, terror attacks in India led to 0.4 deaths per attack in 2016, compared to 2.4 deaths worldwide, the report said.
According to the report, the deadliest attack in India in 2016 took place in July, when the Communist Party of India Maoist detonated explosives and opened fire on CRPF personnel in Bihar. Sixteen people were killed, including six assailants.
According to the report, a majority of terrorist attacks in India in 2016 involved either bombings/explosions at 47% or armed assaults at 18%.
In addition, kidnappings were particularly prevalent in India at 15% of all attacks, compared to 10% worldwide, as were facility/ infrastructure attacks at 12% of all attacks, compared to 6% worldwide, the report said.
ruling AIADMK on Monday said it would take legal action against senior Karnataka police official D Roopa if she did not withdraw her charges that party general secretary VK Sasikala was provided special treatment in jail, contravening laws.
AIADMK mouthpiece ‘Namadhu Dr MGR’ quoted the party’s Perambur MLA and district secretary P Vetrivel and party’s Karnataka state unit secretary VA Pugazhendi as saying that legal actions would be taken if Roopa did not take back her ‘false charges.’ As DIG (Prison) a few days ago, Roopa had alleged Sasikala was provided amenities flouting prison rules. Though she was eased out of the prison department subsequently, she continues to stick to her stand.
Sasikala is lodged at Parappana Agrahara central prison in Bengaluru since her conviction in February in the disproportionate assets case along with her two relatives, VN Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, all serving a four-year term. Quoting the Karnataka Prison Manual, the AIADMK mouthpiece explained rules that permitted amenities for those sentenced to simple imprisonment and in respect of women prisoners. Convicts undergoing simple imprisonment are allowed to wear their own clothes and use their own mattress. PTI