Village defence communities

What are Village Defence Communities (VDC)? Why was Village defence communities were created? What makes up village defence communities? What was the contribution of Village defence communities in the fight against militants? Read further to know more.

Locals in the village of Jammu and Kashmir have demanded that they be given firearms so they may defend themselves against attacks after extremists killed six people in two days there. Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha recently promised the people of Jammu and Kashmir that they will receive a Village Defense Committee (VDC).

In response to an uptick in militant attacks, the people of Jammu and Kashmir are demanding that they be given firearms to defend themselves.

Kashmir and Jammu L-G Manoj Sinha have declared that the UT would establish Village Defense Guards. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs gave its approval to the plan to establish VDGs in J&K’s at-risk districts.

What is Village Defence Communities (VDC)?

• The Village Defense Committees were first founded in the middle of the 1990s in the former Doda district (now Kishtwar, Doda, and Ramban districts) as a force multiplier against militant assaults. Their objective was to arm and teach the inhabitants of isolated, hilly communities so they could protect themselves.
• To arm peasants for self-defence, the Village Defence Committees (VDCs) were established. Currently, the VDCs are being revived. Self-loading rifles (SLR) have been used in place of their older ones.303 rifles, and the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police are conducting training exercises.
• Seven people were killed in two terrorist attacks in Rajouri, Jammu and Kashmir’s Dhangri hamlet, and requests were made to resurrect Village Defense Committees (VDCs).
• In response to the calls, the government provided self-loading rifles (SLRs) to the locals in the Jammu region and began preparing the villagers for self-defence.
• A group of people known as the Village Defense Committees is armed and prepared to fight off attackers until security authorities arrive.
  The Union Ministry of Home Affairs authorised the new plan to establish VDGs in J&K’s vulnerable districts in March 2022.

What distinguishes VDGs from Village defence communities?

The Village Defence Guards currently go by the name of VDCs (VDG). The Union Ministry of Home Affairs authorised the revised plan to establish VDGs in J&K’s vulnerable districts in March of last year.

Each VDG will receive a gun and 100 rounds of ammo, much like a VDC member. Both the VDG and the VDC are citizen defence units that have been given weapons and ammunition to fight off attackers until security forces can arrive.

The government would pay the VDG leaders Rs 4,500 per month under the new programme, while the others will receive Rs 4,000 each. Only the Special Police Officers (SPOs) in charge of the VDCs received a monthly salary of Rs 1,500. SPOs.

The lowest level in the J&K Police, were formerly members of the armed forces, paramilitary, or law enforcement. According to officials, the SP/SSP of the relevant district would oversee the operation of the VDGs.

Why the Village defence communities were created?

• The 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak Wars, when the government armed former service members and young, physically strong people in surrounding villages to stop espionage infiltration from Pakistan, served as inspiration for the idea.
• The insurgency that began in Kashmir at the beginning of the 1990s had spread to the adjacent Doda region by the middle of the decade.
• The Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee the state in the early 1990s due to an increase in massacres, which pushed Hindus to move from villages to nearby towns. The Home Ministry decided to build the VDCs in 1995 to stop this migration.
• The strategy was later expanded to other areas of the Jammu division as terrorist activity grew in the districts of Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, and Samba.
• By the middle of the 1990s, the militancy that had started in Kashmir in the early 1990s had expanded to the nearby Doda area. Following the 1993 slaughter of 13 people in Kishtwar, there was a call for arming civilians. The Home Ministry decided to establish the VDCs in 1995 to curb this exodus after Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave the state in the early 1990s as the killings grew and caused Hindus to move from villages to surrounding towns.
• Later, as terrorists increased their operations in the districts of Udhampur, Reasi, Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, and Samba, the plan was extended to other parts of the Jammu division.

Village defence community composition

• Each VDC contained at least 10 to 15 former service members, ex-police officers, and physically fit neighbourhood kids who joined voluntarily.
• Via the district superintendent of police, at least five of them received offers of 303 rifles with 100 bullets apiece.
• The number of firearms distributed may increase based on the volunteers’ qualifications, the village’s population, and its security needs as determined by the district magistrate and SSP.

What was the contribution of Village defence communities in the fight against militants?

• The VDCs were crucial in battling militancy when it peaked in most areas of the Jammu Division.
• In locations where weak road networks prevented the entrance of security troops, they were the most feared armed organisations among insurgents.
• Because they were familiar with the terrain, the villagers prevented numerous insurgent attacks and assisted in the capture and execution of the militants.
• The VDCs were instrumental in battling militancy during its height in the majority of the Jammu division, particularly in areas that fell under the Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions, the hills of Udhampur, and the Reasi and Kathua districts.
• In locations where weak road networks prevented the entrance of security troops, they were the most feared armed organisations among insurgents.
• Because they were familiar with the terrain, the villagers prevented numerous insurgent attacks and assisted in the capture and execution of the militants.

Controversies relating Village defence communities

• The VDCs had to cope with claims of extortion, murder, rape, and other crimes in addition to human rights violations in addition to their triumphs.
  Following the restoration of peace, there were calls for the VDCs to be dissolved in 2002 in some places.
  Due to their involvement in a criminal case or the government taking away their guns once they turned 60, the number of VDC members has substantially decreased. In addition to this, numerous VDC members have given up their guns in the absence of payment.
  By official statistics presented on the floor of the former J&K Legislative Assembly in 2016, there were 4,248 VDCs around the state employing 27,924 citizens.
• Following the restoration of peace, there were calls for the VDCs to be dissolved in 2002 in some places.
• The number of VDC members has steadily decreased over time, either as a result of their involvement in legal proceedings or the government confiscating their weapons once they reached the age of 60.
• Salwa Judum was ordered by the Supreme Court to stop receiving support from the state government and alms in 2008. (anti-Naxalite militia mobilised by the Chhattisgarh State). According to SC, it is unlawful for the state government to give a citizen access to weapons and let him kill another person.

Conclusion

• The Village Defence Guards currently go by the name of VDCs (VDG). The Union Ministry of Home Affairs authorised the new plan to establish VDGs in J&K’s vulnerable districts in March 2022. The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) or Superintendent of Police (SP) of the relevant district would be in charge of the VDGs’ operations.
• Minorities and foreigners have been the targets of recent terrorist assaults in J&K. This targeted assassination is intended to sow discord among communities and foster an atmosphere of dread, which has given minority communities a sense of mass emigration.
• Nearly all terrorists who have recently joined the ranks or are preparing to do so have killed civilians. . Formerly, full-time militants would either vanish from their areas or promote themselves online.
• Hence, it was simple to find them. On the other side, it can be challenging to find these part-timers. These hybrid terrorist neo-recruits defeat surveillance with sporadic attacks, which aids Pakistan-based masterminds in maintaining their plausible deniability.
• The majority of murders of civilians were committed using pistols. Drones were used to transport these weapons across the border. These neo-recruits received the pistols from Pakistani handlers, particularly for the attacks, and they afterwards received them back.
• This made it convenient for them to go back to their houses in populated areas.

Article written by Aseem Muhammed