GUWAHATI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that the security scenarios in Assam and other states in the Northeast have been making significant improvements since 2014. This statement has its reflection in the latest report (up to December 2023) of the North East Division of the MHA.
The report said, “There has been significant improvement in the security situation in the North Eastern (NE) states since 2014. Compared to 2014, there has been a reduction of 71 percent in insurgency incidents, 60 percent in security forces casualties, and 82 percent in civilian deaths in 2023.”
On the reduction of ‘disturbed areas’ under AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Power Act), 1958, the report said, “Due to the significant improvement in the security situation in the north-eastern states, the AFSPA has been removed completely from all districts, barring four districts of Assam, 19 police station areas in seven districts of Manipur, and 18 police station areas in eight districts of Nagaland. In Arunachal Pradesh, the AFSPA has been reduced to three police station areas in Namsai district, besides Tirap, Changlang, and Longding districts. Earlier, the AFSPA had been removed completely from Tripura and Meghalaya in 2015 and 2018, respectively.”
According to the report, the number of extremists killed in the entire Northeast was 404 in 2004, and the number of extremists killed in the Northeast in 2023 was only 40. Likewise, the number of security personnel killed in 2023 in the region was eight against 110 in 2004, and the number of civilians killed in 2023 in the region was 38 against 414 in 2004. The number of people abducted in the region in 2023 was 99, against 225 in 2004.”
The report also has Assam-specific statistics in it. Only four extremists were killed in the state in 2023, compared to 104 in 2004. Likewise, 21 extremists were arrested in the state in 2023, compared to 161 in 2004. In 2023, not a single security personnel or civilian was killed in Assam. However, in 2004, the state witnessed the killing of 17 security personnel and 194 civilians.
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