Steady decline in Left Wing Extremism violence: Govt tells Parliament

New Delhi, Sep 16: The government on Wednesday said there has been a steady decline in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-related violence in the country and the number of deaths of civilians and security personnel has reduced consistently from 1,005 in 2010 to 202 in 2019.

Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said in Rajya Sabha that to combat the LWE menace, Government of India formulated a national policy and action plan in 2015, which consists of a multi-pronged approach comprising security measures, development initiatives and ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities.

"There has been a steady decline in LWE-related violence and geographical spread of LWE influence in the country. The number of deaths (civilians and security force personnel) in LWE related violence has reduced consistently from 1,005 in 2010 to 202 in 2019," he said in a written reply to question.

In 2020, he said, till August 15, deaths have further reduced from 137 to 102 in comparison with the first eight months of 2019.