Incidents of street protests, violence, local recruitment of youth into militancy in Kashmir have reduced drastically this year compared to previous years due to the “effective” action of security forces and probe agencies against separatists and their sympathisers.

An official report has revealed that the districts and towns in Kashmir that had shown an upward trend of street protests (in 2017 and 2018) followed by violent clashes between protestors and security forces have shown “satisfactory improvement.”

“In Srinagar, Friday protests have shown a drastic decline this year so far as compared to 2017 and 2018. Similarly, the stone pelting hubs in south Kashmir districts that include Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Anantnag, too, have shown satisfactory results,” it says. “There is a significant improvement in law and order situation and that is because of the declining trend of street protests in south Kashmir districts that were the epicentre of protests in 2017 and 2018.”

Quoting figures, it says, in 2017, South Kashmir recorded 187 incidents of violence and in 2018, these incidents reduced to less than 100. “This year only 22 incidents of stone pelting and law and order disturbances were witnessed. The figures exclude incidents that happened during recent polls.”

In north Kashmir, except the joining of two teenage boys into the militant ranks and the subsequent protests that occurred on the day of their killing this year, only 17 incidents of protests, clashes occurred since January this year. “In 2017, northern districts had witnessed 87 law and order situations/incidents followed by 54 in 2018.”

Budgam and Ganderbal districts have been declared “relatively peaceful” by the security agencies. The street protests in Kashmir have shown a declining trend at a time when local militant recruitment too has gone to its lowest ebb since 2017. Only 23 local boys joined militancy this year so far against 30 till April of 2018.

The report has credited the efforts put in by families of youth, hectic counselling of youth at the district level and the joint strategy of police and other security agencies as the reasons for “improvement in the situation.”

A senior police officer privy to the report said the NIA raids on separatists and their sympathisers have broken the backbone of the militants and their sympathisers in Kashmir. “The efforts of the lawbreakers, stone pelters and violent mobs is effectively blocked and hence not only pelting but other violent incidents, have gone down,” he said

“We are focusing on clean encounters and maintaining a humane approach with the people. The major responsibility is to keep the peace intact and to make it as a permanent feature,” he added.