Chilling terror figures

It is only with a sense of foreboding that we look at the statistics of terrorism tabulated annually by global organisations. The figures can never be of any consolation for those countries worst hit by the modern phenomenon of organised terrorism and India has unfortunately been climbing steadily indicating an incremental worsening of the situation. Much like the global terror index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the latest data for 2015 analysed by an agency contracted with the US state department has a chilling tale to tell. The Maoists of India now count as the fourth deadliest terror group globally after the Taliban, IS and Boko Haram. While India ranked sixth in 2014 in the global terror index, it appears it might be headed to taking the fourth spot in 2015 behind the worst terror sports of the world like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, overtaking Syria and Nigeria.

While India’s campaign in international forums aimed at exposing Pakistan’s nefarious plans in state-sponsored terrorism exported across the border mostly to Jammu and Kashmir is getting shriller as it must, we must also stop and think of how much we are doing to contain the ideology based terror of hardened communist groups. Cadres of the CPI(M) were responsible for 343 terror attacks last year killing 176 people, mostly in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Besides dealing with Islamist terrorism of the Pakistani and homegrown kind and the tactics of the Maoists, India also grapples with separatist movements that have been taking a toll of lives in the Northeast. The point is while dialogue and negotiations are possible with the separatists and Maoists, India can be seen doing more towards tending to the economic development issues that are more germane to the problems caused by revolutionaries. Vigil is the eternal price of freedom, but we can be seen doing more to defuse issues on a couple of fronts as much as in staving off Pakistan’s cross-border terror.