Armed defenders in J&K villages have a history of communal violence

The Union government has announced a new scheme to revive civilian militias for combating militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. The announcement came on the day when a local panchayat representative was shot dead by suspected militants in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. In a letter to Jammu and Kashmir administration, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on March 2 announced the revival of the erstwhile Village Defence Committees (VDCs).

At the peak of the Kashmir insurgency, the VDCs acted as ‘eyes and ears’ for security forces, and sometimes also participated in active combats. These were operational in the Hindu belt of Jammu. Under the revised scheme, which will become operational only after the nod of the J&K High Court, the committees will be rechristened as Village Defence Groups (VDGs). Each VDG will reportedly have eight to ten members who will have equal rank and pay. In ‘vulnerable areas’, each VDG members are to be paid Rs 4500; VDG volunteers to get Rs 4,000.