Protests and violence in Jammu and Kashmir have so far claimed the lives of 47 civilians besides 245 militants and 90 security personnel this year. The year 2018 is also turning out to be one of the bloodiest since 2014, as 587 incidents of violence were reported till December 2 compared to 342 in 2017 and 322 in 2016, according to data available with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
In its annual report for 2017-18, the MHA noted, “Civilian deaths in Jammu and Kashmir rose by a staggering 167% as compared to 2016.”