Kerala, not Jammu and Kashmir, had the highest number of mob attacks on police in 2015: Report

The review, however, does not include figures from the clashes reported in the Valley in the aftermath of Burhan Wani’s death in July 2016.

Mar 29, 2017 · 12:03 pm

Kerala, not Jammu and Kashmir, had the highest number of mob attacks on police in 2015: Report — Kashmiri protestors clash with Indian police in Srinagar on July 10, 2016. The death toll from unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir climbed to 15 July 10, officials said, despite authorities imposing a harsher curfew on the restive territory in a bid to prevent new demonstrations. One protestor was killed on July 10 when government forces fired on angry residents who defied the restrictions in the southern Pulwama area, and six died in different hospitals overnight | Tauseef Mustafa/AFP

Although Jammu and Kashmir has been in the news for alleged mob attacks on the police and other security forces, it turns out Kerala topped the state with a higher number of assaults on officers in 2015. According to data from the National Crime Record Bureau, the southern state reported 284 such cases against 200 in the Valley that year, according to India Today.

This followed the trend seen in 2013, when 615 injuries sustained by police officers were reported in Kerala, while 585 such cases were reported by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. In 2014, however, Kashmir overtook Kerala with 330 assaults on police personnel against 202 in Kerala.

Kashmir clashes:

It would be significant to note that the crime bureau report – shared by Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir in Lok Sabha on Tuesday – did not include figures from the widespread clashes reported in Kashmir in the aftermath of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani’s death in July 2016.

An officer in the rank of an inspector general told Mail Today that the incidents in Kerala were related to public management and law and order, not “organised stone throwing as in Kashmir”. “Kerala cops receive minor injuries, but even those are recorded and reported to authorities,” the officer added.

Other states:

Maharashtra and West Bengal also stand out in the report – Maharashtra cops reported 294, 90, and 163 assaults in 2013, 2014 and 2015, while the Bengal police declared 119, 197 and 151 attacks in the same years. They are followed by Uttar Pradesh (29, 138 and 137), while Delhi (24, 72 and 60) reported the highest number of injuries to its police among Union Territories.

Nationwide, the figures show marginal improvement – while there were 1,930 reported injuries to police officers in 2013, the figure dropped to 1,349 in 2014 and 1,501 in 2015.

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