Jammu and Kashmir: Couples enter wedlock under VDG protection in terror-hit Doda

Doda/Jammu: As Zail Singh and Ravita Devi entered a wedlock in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda, Village Defence Guards (VDGs) stood guard to ward off any threat from terrorists who have infiltrated from across the border and are believed to be hiding in the higher reaches of the hilly district.

Hailing from Gadan village of Bhagwah Panchayat, Singh in his mid-20's performed the marriage rituals with Devi as per already decided dates last week despite his area witnessing a fierce gunfight between terrorists and security forces for several hours on July 9.

Doda in Jammu region was rocked by several terror incidents since June 12, which was seen as an attempt by Pakistan-based terror handlers to revive terrorism in the district after remaining peaceful for over 18 years.

On July 27, the police released sketches of three terrorists responsible for several attacks, including the one on an army search party in Dessa forest that left four soldiers including a captain dead on July 15.

"The back-to-back terror attacks have sparked panic among the people. This is the marriage season, so we are coming forward to ensure that people celebrate their important occasions without the shadow of terror," 55-year-old VDG member Bharat Singh, a resident of Gadan village, told PTI.

He said the VDGs have provided security for a few marriage ceremonies in the village and adjoining areas and are will be doing so for several other functions which are in pipeline as "people feel safe" by their presence.

Besides the deadly encounter in Dessa forest, the terrorists also injured at least 10 security personnel in separate attacks at Chattergalla pass, Gandoh, Kastigarh and Ghadi Bagwah forest between June 12 and July 18.

Three terrorists were killed in a day-long operation in the Gandoh area of the district on June 26, while the search is on to neutralize other splinter groups hiding in the dense forests. The VDG member said Zail Singh's father Karan Singh is a special police officer (SPO), so the threat from terrorists was felt more for this function.

"We not only provided protection to the family in the village but also accompanied the 'bhaarat' till Deoli village enroute to Koti, some 25 km from Gadan. We returned from halfway after another VDG party took over the charge," he said.

Recalling past terror attacks on villagers in the district between 1995 and 2006 which claimed a number of lives, Bharat Singh said the VDGs who were earlier known as village defence committees (VDCs) are protecting their villages round-the-clock and had voluntarily come forward to provide protection to families celebrating marriage of their children.

In 2022, the policy of VDCs was revamped by the home ministry and Village Defence Groups were introduced, members of whom are called Village Defence Guards. It was not only the name, the structure of the committees was also changed. Unlike VDCs where only SPOs were paid, all VDGs are now paid.

According to the annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for 2022-23, 4,153 Village Defence Groups (VDG) and 32,355 SPOs were engaged in Jammu and Kashmir in different responsibilities for the protection of civilians and anti-terrorists operations under the direct supervision of district superintendents of police or senor superintendents of police. However, Singh said they are still waiting for replacement of their .303 rifles and monthly remunerations.

"We have been given more members after the recent encounters (with terrorists) and report our duties to police," he said, adding the presence of terrorists meant loss of earning opportunities for them as they "mostly work as labourers" and the challenging situation did not let them leave their areas unprotected.

Meanwhile, speaking at a function on Saturday, Ajay Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Jammu (South), asked people to note down specific descriptions of any suspicious person moving in their areas.

"If anyone sees any suspicious person, please note down descriptions like his height, age, dressing, armed or unarmed and whether the person is trying to hide his identity," he said at a function here.

He also urged people to use their smartphones and pin that area where the suspect was noticed so that it could act as a reference point for the security forces.