NEW DELHI: The Union government has reduced the strength of paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior Home Ministry official said on Wednesday, adding that the situation in the Valley has improved. However, the official did not reveal the number of troops that have been withdrawn from Kashmir.
Over one lakh paramilitary personnel have been deployed in J&K since August when the government revoked the erstwhile state’s special status and bifurcated it into Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
The official also claimed that the number of political detainees has also come down and there are only around 20 politicians who are detained in the Valley.
ALSO READ | Kashmir suffered losses worth upto Rs 18,000 crore due to Article 370 abrogation
There were a total of 544 incidents of stone-pelting so far in 2019 and 190 of them have taken place since August 5 when Article 370 provisions were abrogated.
Till December 8, altogether 356 people from J&K were in jail and 250 of them were stone pelters, officials said. There were 802 incidents of stone-pelting in the Valley in 2018.
There have been a total 171 attempts of infiltration from across the border to J&K this year till October and 114 of them were successful, they said.
Of the total “successful” infiltration bids, 59 were since August — seven in October, 20 in September and 32 in August, officials said.