Village Defence Guards
| Village Defence Guards Village Defence Committees | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | VDGs |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1996 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Chenab Valley, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
 | |
| Map of the Village Defence Committees's active region | |
| Size | 11,885 square kilometres (4,589 sq mi) |
| Population | 924,345 |
| Legal jurisdiction | Chenab Valley |
| Governing body | Jammu and Kashmir Police |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Elected officer responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Government of Jammu & Kashmir |
| Districts | List
|
| Notables | |
| Significant Village Defence |
|
Village Defence Guards (VDGs) formerly known as Village Defence Committees is a civilian militia first established in the mid-1990s in the Chenab Valley area of Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the self-defence of locals in remote hilly villages against militancy. It consist of villagers as well as police officers.[4] The VDGs have been accused of numerous human rights violations including dozens of murder and rape cases.[5][6]
On 15 August 2022, Government of Jammu and Kashmir accorded sanction to the creation of the VDG.[7] VDG members are paid a monthly remuneration of 4,000-4,500 Indian rupees (US$48-$54).[5]
In the 1990s, according to official data, at least 221 cases[6] including nearly two dozen related to murder, seven to rape, and 15 cases involving rioting were registered against the members of the VDGs.[5] However, fewer than 2 percent of defendants were convicted.[8]
As recently as 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir police set up new VDCs in Kishtwar.[4] Kishtwar has over 3,251 VDC members out of which 800 are armed.[4] In Jammu and Kashmir there are 4,125 VDCs as of December 2019.[9] The Indian Army conducts training camps for VDCs consisting of weapons training and intelligence gathering basics. On 15 September 2019, the Army trained VDCs in Doda sector.[10] They were mainly set up to protect the locals.[11][12] As of 28 February 2023, there are over 100 men armed and provided weapons training in Dhangri, Rajouri.[13] The first VDC was set up under Shesh Paul Vaid when he was a Superintendent of police in Bagankote village, Udhampur (now Reasi) in 1995.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "SP Vaid Removed As Jammu And Kashmir Police Chief". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
- ^ "Jammu and Kashmir police chief SP Vaid removed, Director General of Prisons Dilbagh Singh to take over". The Financial Express. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
- ^ "Doda Police Briefs Heads of VDGS About Their Charter of Duties". The Chenab Times. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ a b c Sharma, Arun (2019-07-17). "J&K cops overhaul village defence committees, PDP says Centre design to arm RSS workers". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ^ a b c "Why India's revival of civil militias in Kashmir is raising fears". Al Jazeera. 13 March 2023.
- ^ a b Nanda, Showkat; Loke, Atul (8 March 2023). "India Is Arming Villagers in One of Earth's Most Militarized Places". The New York Times.
- ^ "J&K Govt launches Village Defence Guards Scheme-2022". Greater Kashmir. 16 August 2022.
- ^ "India arms Hindu militias to combat Kashmiri fighters". DAWN. 29 April 2023.
- ^ "J&K village defence committees protest over pending salaries in Jammu, seek L-G GC Murmu's intervention". Firstpost. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ^ "Indian Army organises training sessions for village defence committees in J-K". ANI News. 15 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ^ "J-K: Police to revamp village defence committees to curb terrorism". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 2019-07-21. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ^ a b Bhat, Sunil (13 June 2020). "Give arms training, weapons to minority Hindus, vulnerable Muslims in Kashmir: Former J&K DGP Vaid". India Today. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
- ^ "India revives civil militia after 7 Hindus were killed in disputed region of Kashmir". Associated Press. 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-03-02.