news details |
|
|
| Is state awaiting massacre of minorities? 400 VDC members loose weapons in Doda, police intentionally delaying fresh arms | | | Early Times Report
KISHTWAR, Aug 20: Citing flimsy reasons, Police in District Doda has withdrawn arms of around 400 Village Defence Committee (VDC) members.
Several leaders of minority community including President of Sanatan Dharm Sabha (SDS) Gajjay Singh while talking to Early Times claimed that 200 files of fresh as well as relatives and Kins of Village Defence Committee (VDC) members of minority community who were disarmed are pending in the office of SP (Doda) Arif Rishoo. They further claimed that the process of antecedent verification has been completed yet they have not been disposed off.
Citing some examples, they said that documents of three persons namely Prabhat Singh, Thakur Lal and Shib Lal are complete in all aspects yet the police is dilly-delaying the process of giving weapons to these three persons. These minority community members said that there are more than 200 such desirous young and old minority community members of various Doda villages who are being made to run from pillar to post for being included in the VDC register.
When asked about reasons for arms being withdrawn from the members of Village Defence Committees (VDCs), these minority leaders accepted that in some cases, arms were withdrawn for reasons which even they said were 'genuine'. In the cases where VDC members were found involved in theft or some other criminal activity or for that matter, in committing excesses on innocents in villages across the district, these leaders said that they ensured the accused VDC members are taken to task.
They further said that arms were immediately withdrawn from them and there was not even a meek protest against this police action. FIRs were lodged against these VDC members and they are still languishing behind their bars for having misused their weapon, said these minority leaders. They asserted that state should not defame VDCs for the crimes committed by a few individuals.
These leaders said that some other VDC members quit their jobs after they were either employed or they contested elections or the members were too old to carry on the job of securing the village from terrorists. In place of these members, around 200 applications of their next kith and kin were placed before SP Doda for immediate action but he preferred not to take any action, said these leaders.
He maintained that 20-25 VDC members were disarmed in Kulhand area by the police despite the fact that this area witnessed one of the worst massacres of the many which took place in erstwhile District Doda. Nineteen people were killed in cold blood and there are reports of militants still roaming in the higher reaches of Kulhand, maintained one Sham Singh who lives in Chinta village of Bhaderwah town.
Having bore the brunt of terror violence, Singh said that disbanding VDCs would mean inviting trouble for the minorities living in erstwhile District Doda. He further said that around 8 members of Dessa VDC have deposited their weapons with the police while the ammunition is still with them. Either they are under pressure to disband VDCs or they are unaware of terror threat that still exists across erstwhile District Doda.
It was also brought to the knowledge of Early Times that there are 658 paid Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and 217 unpaid. Each VDC has 8 members and hence, there are around 7000 VDC members across erstwhile District Doda. Besides, there are 220 Dhok Defence Committees (DDC). This mostly includes members of Gujjar community and in some instances, from those belonging to minority community.
Another member of minority, Desraj Sharma who talked to Early Times at Prem Nagar said "Verification of around 30-40 VDC member is pending. They want us to get killed and then, they would arm us." Early Times made repeated efforts to seek official version on the allegations and claims from SP (Doda) Arif Rishoo but he preferred not to speak. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
