While the focus remains on the recent spate of Maoist attacks, statistics show that Naxals have been killing three persons in every two days for the past five years.
The Left-wing extremists have killed about 2,670 people--about 1,680 civilians and nearly 990 security personnel--since 2005, equalling three deaths every two days.
About 1,440 Maoists have also lost their lives in the past five years, which translates into nearly three casualties in every two days, according to data of the South Asia Terrorism Portal, a website managed by The Institute for Conflict Management, a Delhi-based security watchdog.
The statistics show that in the war against Naxalism, the rebels have an edge over security forces and are able to inflict maximum casualties on civilians and security personnel. Exhibiting their capability, the Maoists have killed more than 460 people alone this year. The victims included 167 security personnel.
Though all states located in the 'Red Corridor' have been affected, Chhattisgarh -- the hotbed of the Maoists -- bore the brunt, witnessing the deaths of 103 security personnel and 43 civilians.
The deaths included last month's killing of 75 paramilitary personnel in Dantewada district and the blowing up of a bus that killed over 30 civilians and special police officers in the same district earlier this month.
West Bengal was the second most Maoist-affected state, where Naxals killed 32 security personnel and 63 civilians
(excluding the Jhargram incident). Orissa, the third most affected state, witnessed death of 22 civilians and 17 security forces this year. The figures in Bihar were 29 and six respectively.
However, according to the data, only 107 Maoists have so far been killed this year, meaning just one Left-wing extremist gets killed for four deaths among security personnel and civilians combined. In 2009, about 1,000 deaths were reported from
Maoist-related violence. Of them 392 were civilians, 312 were security personnel and 294 were Naxals.
In the previous year, the extremists killed about 210 civilians and 214 security personnel, while suffering 214 casualties.
The combined toll of security forces and civilians was 458 in 2007, 394 in 2006 and 431 in the preceding year. The casualties suffered by Maoists during the same period were 192, 348 and 286 respectively.
It shows that the extremists have killed more people than the cadres lost in all the years. Interestingly, the statistics reveal that the rate of fatalities from Maoist-related violences is more than those recorded during the peak of Kashmir insurgency.
The data, derived from Jammu and Kashmir Government sources, reveal that the rate of fatalities on both sides was
almost equal. Since 2000, the border state witnessed over 7,500 deaths of civilians and security personnel, while over 8,800
insurgents also lost their lives.
In 1996, considered the bloodiest year for the state, a total of 2,822 people were killed, including 1,424 civilians, 189 security personnel and 1,209 terrorists.While the number of militancy-related casualties are gradually decreasing since the beginning of the decade, the trend is the opposite in the case of Maoist-related violence.
