A graphic is doing the rounds on social media platforms to claim that there have been no civilians deaths due to terror attacks in the country after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government came into power.
We found that the graphic has been circulating since 2019. Archives of several old posts with the same claim can be found here, here, and here.
What is the truth?: According to data available in the public domain, the viral graphic is false as the country has seen civilian deaths due to terror attacks after 2014.
While replying to a question about civilian deaths due to terrorist incidents, Minister of State (MoS) of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, said that there have been around 177 deaths from 2018 to 2022.
How did we find that out?: Team WebQoof went through the archives of the questions asked in the Parliament. This led us to one question where the person sought the data of terrorist attacks that have occurred in the last five years and the number of casualties.
The MoS of Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, answered the question in the Rajya Sabha on 9 August 2023.
As per the data, around 3 civilians in hinterland of the country lost their lives in 2018.
Around 174 civilians died in terrorist initiated incidents in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) from 2018-2022.
(Swipe right to view all screenshots.)
3 civilians died in terrorist incidents in hinterland of the country.
(Source: Rajya Sabha/Screenshot)
Civilian deaths in J&K: We also found an answer given by Rai in Lok Sabha, where several people asked the Ministry if the government's actions have contributed to the decline in terror incidents in the Union Territory.
While mentioning how the government has zero tolerance against terrorism, Rai also provided a table showing the number of casualties in 2018 and 2023 to draw a comparison.
According to the data, around 55 civilians were killed in J&K and in 2018 and 13 civilian casualties were reported in 2023 (upto 30 November).
Data from 2014 - 2018: A press release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) dated 5 February 2019 carried the "details of the terrorist/insurgent/extremist incidents" in the country from 2014 to 2018.
According to the data, around 11 civilians were killed in the hinterland of the country and around 138 civilians in J&K.
The number of civilian deaths reported from incidents relating to insurgency in the North Eastern Region were 366.
Around 967 civilians were killed in incidents related to Left Wing Extremism.
Around 11 civilians were killed in the hinterland of the country from 2014-18.
(Source: PIB/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)
Conclusion: It is clear that the viral graphic is false as there have been civilian deaths in the country due to terror attacks after PM Modi came into power.
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