The US State Department has released a report on terrorism on Friday in which it has described the Communist Party of India (Maoist) as the world’s sixth deadliest terrorist organisation.

According to the data made available in the Country Report on Terrorism 2018, Communist Party of India (Maoist) has killed 311 people last year in 177 terror incidents. However, Union home ministry data in India shows there were 240 deaths in 833 violent incidents involving the group in 2018.

Last year, the US state department, based on 2017 data, had declared the Maoists as the world’s fourth-largest terror organisation.

The US report has kept the CPI Maoist in the sixth position after the Taliban (Afghanistan), IS or the Islamic State, Al-Shabaab (Africa), Boko Haram (Africa) and the Communist Party of the Philippines.

- Advertisement -

The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a Maoist communist party in India which aims to overthrow the government of India through people’s war. It was founded on September 21, 2004, through the merger of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People’s War (People’s War Group), and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI). CPI(Maoist) is also designated as a terrorist organisation in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The US State Department report has ranked India as the fourth most terror-hit country globally after Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, where 57 per cent of terrorist incidents last year were reported from Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the report the “weaknesses in intelligence and information sharing negatively impacted state and central law enforcement agencies” is holding back India from countering terrorism in the country.

“Despite its rigorous training, NSG’s rapid response capability is somewhat limited, due in part to its small staff relative to India’s large size and the NSG’s limited independent logistics capacity,” said the report.

The report indicated that CPI Maoist, also called Naxals was the main perpetrator of terror incidents in India in 2018. It has been responsible for a total of 176 which amounts to 26 per cent of all the occurred incidents. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was responsible for 60 that is 9 per cent of all incidents. Hizbul Mujahideen was responsible for 59 contributing to 9 per cent of overall incidents while Lashkar-e Tayyiba (LeT) was responsible for 55 amounting to 8 per cent of the incidents.

“Other groups, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah, and ISIS-Jammu and Kashmir were also active in India,” the report added.

The report said that Pakistan-based LeT was responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and JeM maintained the “capability and intent” to attack Indian and Afghan targets.

Read: There is no difference between Leftist terrorism and Islamic Jihad, none at all

Moreover, the US state department report says terrorism affected all 29 Indian states in 2018 and that 971 people were killed in the 671 attacks last year. It added Chhattisgarh was the worst-hit state after Jammu and Kashmir with 111 incidents (16 per cent) in 2018 followed by Manipur with by 22 (3 per cent).

Union home ministry officials reportedly refused to comment on why India’s data on deaths in the Maoist violence was different from that of the US.