Since 2002, seven people are killed in terror violence every 10 days

• In Jammu and Kashmir, long known as the epicentre of terrorism, there has been a marked decrease in casualties since 2002 in contrast to the trend in the rest of the country. For the period January 2002-December 2007, the total number of casualties in J&K in militancy-related incidents is 306, about 23% of the national total, while the number of injured is 794. In fact, 2006 and 2007 saw the lowest death toll in J&K: 14 and 11 respectively.

• The number of those killed in Naxalite violence has surged since 2005 — 98 in 2006 and 160 in 2007.

• In these five years, 211 persons were killed in separatist incidents in the North-East.

Incidentally, most of the terrorist-related incidents, be it in J&K, North-East or elsewhere, have remained unsolved, with the alleged masterminds continuing to evade the police and security agencies.

That terror has gone national is evident in a string of attacks over the last five years: in Mumbai on 7/11 (killing 187 people) and injuring 844; the attack on the Pakistan-bound Samjhauta/Attari Express near Panipat on February 18 last year that killed 68. The serial blasts in Delhi in October, 2005 killed 67 and injured 224. The August 2003 twin car bomb blasts that rocked South Mumbai’s Gateway of India and busy Zaveri Bazar left 52 dead and 184 injured. And the twin blasts in Hyderabad killed 42 people last August.

myrti@expressindia.com

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