January 02
2018 has just ended, the Kashmir valley witnessed the bloodiest year in over a decade, as 240 Militants, 140 civilians and 84 Government Force personnel were killed in the year.
The year also marked frequent internet bans and Shutdowns against the killings of civilians and Militants as well.
The twin district of South Kashmir, Pulwama and Shopian considered to be hot bed of the ‘New age militancy’ saw the highest civilian causalities during the clashes near encounter sites in 2018.
The Pulwama District witnessed at least 22 encounters raging between Militants and Government Forces while in Shopian districts at least 17 gunfights.
The Disricts witnessed a shutdown for almost four months in the year, as per data available to The Kashmiriyat while as the longest shutdown in the twin districts was observed following the killing of 13 militants including some top commanders and a civilian during two separate encounters in twin villages of Shopian on April 01.
Shopian as per Data available to The Kashmiriyat witnessed 90 days (32 times) of internet shutdowns where as in the neighboring Pulwama district internet was snapped for at least 95 days ((37 times).
“other than shutting down the internet after almost every militant or civilian killing, the internet was also shut during the resignation of SPOs following the abduction of family members of Policemen, during elections and during the republic and independence days of India,” a resident of Shopian told The Kashmiriyat.
The encounters also caused huge damage to civilian property as at least thirty four houses were gutted during encounters between Forces and Militants. “Three houses were gutted without an encounter raging here in Turkwangam on May 03 after Militants escaped from this Shopian area, two were gutted during the April 01 encounters in Shopian,” Fayaz Ahmed, a Turkwangam resident told The Kashmiriyat.
Despite witnessing frequent internet snap down and shutdowns, the Pulwama district in South Kashmir ranked first in over-all pass percentage in recently declared Matriculation results at 84 percent, the Shopian district ranked second at 83 percent.