NCRB data shows 63% drop in extremist violence; jihadi incidents hit record low: Report

A drop of more than 87 per cent was recorded in jihadi terrorism, marking the steepest fall

Incidents of extremist, insurgent, and terrorist violence dropped sharply from 446 in 2022 to 163 in 2023, with notable declines recorded in left-wing extremism, jihadi terrorism, and North-East insurgency, according to a report by Times of India.

The report, citing data from NCRB, reveals that the steepest fall has been witnessed in jihadi terrorist activities, which fell to just 15 in 2023 from 126 in 2022. Meanwhile, violence linked with North-East insurgents came down to 10 cases from 26 in 2022.

Civilian casualties have reduced, but the toll on police and army personnel has grown. At the same time, extremists have looted arms and ammunition in much larger quantities, the report observed.

According to the report, the cases of insurgency in the North-East reduced by over 61 per cent compared to 2022, while Left-wing extremist violence dipped by over 44 per cent.

A drop of more than 87 per cent was recorded in jihadi terrorism, marking the steepest fall, while “other terrorist” incidents reduced by over 77 per cent.

The number of registered cases followed suit with a decline of over 58 per cent. Combined casualties of civilians and security personnel declined from 118 in 2022 to 103 in 2023.

However, deaths among police as well as state and Army personnel recorded an over 50 per cent rise. Extremist fatalities, due to fewer operations, also saw a drop by more than 54 per cent from 131 to 60, according to the Times of India report.

From 417 in 2022 to 318 in 2023 – the number of surrenders fell. 316 of them were left-wing extremists.

Rise in looted weapons

The report, citing the NCRB data, also pointed towards the rise in the number of looted weapons in 2023 compared to the previous year. Extremists captured 706 arms and 19,946 rounds of ammunition from police as well as central armed police forces as compared to 36 arms and 99 rounds in 2022.