The security situation in the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) state of India has reached a new low in the past few months as militant organizations backed by Islamabad have stepped up a campaign of politically-motivated violence by targeting vital infrastructure in the region and attacking civil society members. The region’s status remains disputed by Pakistan, which refers to J&K as “Indian-occupied Kashmir.” In what seems to be a shift in terrorist tactics, the militants have begun focusing on soft targets such as workers, engineers and village-level political representatives.
Over the last couple of years, Islamic terror-related issues have been escalating in southern and western parts of India. Terrorist outfits are not only targeting security forces and government establishments but aiming at vital economic and strategic assets.
In comparison to the indiscriminate violence perpetrated by Islamic terrorists, the Naxal menace (also infamous as Left-wing Extremist or Maoist) has been plaguing India for quite some time as one of the biggest internal security challenges. The most affected Chattisgarh state witnessed one of the worst-ever massacres on 17 July when armed Naxalites attacked the Errabore Relief Camp in the Dantewada district, killing some 30 unarmed civilians and injuring scores. The attackers have abducted more than 45 people in that fateful night.
On 11 July, India’s commercial hub, Mumbai (in Maharastra) and Jammu & Kashmir State witnessed a series of bomb and Grenade attacks perpetrated by suspected Islamic terrorists.
More than 60 people were killed and over 200 injured in one of the bloodiest-ever terrorist attacks that shook New Delhi with three synchronized explosions on October 29. The first blast occurred in the evening at 5.38 p.m. outside a Jewelers shop in the Paharganj area, close to Delhi’s main railway station. At 5.52 p.m., a bag was spotted inside a public transport bus in Govindpuri, which exploded when thrown out. A powerful explosion hit Sarojini Nagar’s crowded mini market at 5.56 p.m.