India reports decline of violence by extreme left-wing rebels in 2013

 India has reported a decline of violence by extreme left-wing Naxalite rebels in 2013 from the previous year, The Times of India online said Monday. "Overall Naxalite-related incidents fell from 1,415 in 2012 to 1,129 last year, while killings were down from 415 to 394 in the same period. Of the 394 deaths recorded across the country, 115 belonged to the security forces and 279 were civilians," the report quoted Home Ministry sources as saying. Among the affected states, the central state of Jharkhand emerged as the worst-hit with 383 incidents and 150 deaths. Another central state Chhattisgarh came second and recorded 353 incidents and 110 killings. The Naxalite rebels have an estimated 10,000 members active in rural areas in central and eastern parts of India.