Srinagar, January 1
The past year might have seen bloodshed across the country, but crime rate remained remarkably low in the state. Figures accessed by The Tribune revealed that militant attacks and related casualties were remarkably low in 2007, the lowest in the past several years.

A perusal of statistics showed that the common man was getting less affected by insurgency, and its declining influence had now become restricted to militants’ encounters with security forces. Incidents of grenade throwing and IED plants had come down to 104 and 55 in the past year. To give you a broader picture the respective numbers for the year 2000 were 243 and 294. In 1995, when ultras shadowed almost every road and street, incidents of grenade throwing were 579 and IED plants were 366.

Meanwhile, a total of 664 militants were killed last year, close to 400 cross-firings between them and the forces, while 591 were killed in 2006 and as many as 1,520 were killed in 2000. Comparatively, the number of policemen killed declined to 29 from 77 in 2006 and 156 in 2000.

Casualties in the Army and the Paramilitary forces were down to 92 from 102 in 2006 and 311 in 2000.

“With their limited resources, militants are focusing more on targeting security forces, but they have suffered a serious beating,” a senior official told The Tribune. He attributed the success to more support from the local. At least 33 civilians were killed in hand grenade blasts and 23 in cross-firing last year. As many as 92 of them were killed in 2000, while 116 died in cross-firing.

The police registered 197 such cases last year compared to 386 the previous year and a whopping 692 in 2000. If random firing had come down then so has cross-firing between the forces and the militants. The figures came down to 400 in 2007 from 535 and 1,241 in 2006 and 2000, respectively. The forces arrested 666 ultras last year, while 874 were nabbed in 2006.