Srinagar, January 5: In response to an RTI application, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the year 2019 witnessed the maximum number of stone throwing incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. The data was provided by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and said that the stone throwing incidents in 2019 were more than such recorded incidents of stone throwing in 2017 and 2018. However, the data is in contrast to Home Minister Amit Shah's recent claim that stone pelting incidents have come down after abrogation of Article 370. Article 370 Abrogated From Jammu and Kashmir: Home Minister Amit Shah Proposes Scrapping of the Article, What Does the Article State?

Incidents of pelting stones at security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have reduced by 40-45 per cent since the abrogation of provisions under Article 370, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said months after repealing the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. Stone Pelting Incidents Reduced by 40-45% in Jammu And Kashmir After Abrogation of Article 370, Says Amit Shah.

However, the data from MHA contradicts Home Minister's claims. The number of stone pelting incidents in the years 2017 and 2018 stood at 1,412 and 1,458 respectively. The 2019 data till November 30 said that as many as 1,996 incidents of stone throwing were reported.

The stone throwing incidents surged in Jammu and Kashmir despite Kashmir being under heavy security cover days before and after the abrogation of Article 370.

On August 5, Home Minister Amit Shah presented the proposal of abrogating Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, which took back the special category status. The state of Jammu and Kashmir was also bifurcated into two separate Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 05, 2020 09:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).