Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-linked violence continued to torment Maharashtra in 2019. According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), 51 fatalities [19 civilians, 15 Security Force, SF, personnel and 17 Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists, LWEs)], were reported in 2019, adding to 58 such fatalities (five civilians, two SF personnel and 51 Naxalites) in 2018. No fatality has been reported in 2020, thus far (data till February 16, 2020).
Civilians, meanwhile, bore the brunt of LWE violence. Fatalities in this category increased from five in 2018 to 19 in 2019, an almost four-fold increase. This is, in fact, the maximum number of fatalities recorded in this category since 2012, when it had stood at 21. Fatalities in this category never crossed 10 between 2013-2018
Read more…
Source: Eurasia Review