Peace Returns To Valley: CRPF To Train Village Defence Guards In Kashmir To Counter Terror Attacks

Reinstilling a sense of security within the conflict zones of Rajouri and Poonch, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will be training the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in arms and combat. This way, the forces can ensure that the villagers remain protected even in their absence and can counter terrorist attacks in a better manner. The decision comes in light of the recent terror attacks in the villages and the much-anticipated elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

Villagers Part Of National Security Grid

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has restarted issuing weapons to village defence guards (VDGs), earlier known as VDCs, following the Dhangri incident in the Rajouri district, which took the lives of seven people. The VDGs are a group of people comprising local village volunteers and police officers who would be trained by the central forces to counter terror attacks. A senior CRPF officer conveyed that the team would be given appropriate weapons training so that they could act as a line of defence in case of a terrorist attack.

However, the modalities of the new proposal are still being planned, with the "final contours" still being discussed. The forces are yet to finalise the training schedule, the variety of arms to be included and the number of participants for the training. So far, it's known that the volunteers would be given training in basic physical combat exercise, arms, and intelligence gathering basics. According to a report by the Hindustan Times, the administration has also decided to deploy additional CRPF officers in the Rajouri and Poonch regions to strengthen the security grid.

Safeguarding The Valley Collectively

VDGs was a militia group that was first formed in the mid-1990s in the Chenab valley area for the self-defence of locals, especially the minorities residing in remote hilly villages. Over the years, small groups of VDGs consisting of villagers and local police officers continued to be formed to defend against militancy group attacks. In Jammu and Kashmir, there were about 4,125 VDCs as of 2019, but with the growing security challenges, more forces have been deployed for the purpose. Especially now, the security challenges would peak as Jammu and Kashmir is to witness the much-anticipated elections since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. For this reason, the new group of VDGs to be trained in Rajouri and Poonch may also be asked to render a variety of internal security duties in the Jammu region, keeping in mind the emerging terror challenges. The VDGs have been instructed to remain vigilant in view of the upcoming elections and Republic Day celebrations amidst fears that these may invite terrorist attacks. They have also been activated along the India-Pakistan International Border (IB) in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts.

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