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| Rajouri terror strike aftermath; VDCs rechristened as VDGs | | |
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 6: In the wake of the recent terror strike in Rajauri that left half a dozen civilians dead, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has started the revival of Village Defence Committees on modern lines and with a new branding.
Whereas previously it was Village Defence Committee, official sources said, now onwards it will be Village Defence Groups while its members will be designated as Village Defence Guards or VDG.
Official sources said: “Once commissioned formally, the (VI category) who shall be leading/ coordinating the VDG would be paid Rs 4,500 per month and other persons (V2 category) who are members of these VDGs on a voluntary basis will be paid a uniform rate of Rs 4,000 per month.”
While the arms training has commenced in Rajauri district of Jammu, some of the ex-servicemen are imparting training to the volunteers who have pledged to weed out terrorism from the region.
It’s pertinent to mention that during the peak of terrorism in the 1990s, 4,125 VDCs existed in J&K.
The VDCs had played a significant role in assisting the forces in counter-terrorism operations, maintaining vigil over inimical elements and assisting in maintaining peace. The same were, however, subsequently “disbanded by the dynasts.”
In March 2022, the Union Home Ministry had given a nod to the establishment of the VDWs in Jammu and Kashmir. While the process was underway since, it gained momentum in the wake recent terror strike in Rajauri.
The mourners who had staged protests had sought revival of the VDC, something which is making way through the VDG.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is already sending additional 18 companies - approximately 1,800 personnel - to the Jammu region for deployment mainly in Poonch and Rajouri districts.
Six persons, including two children, were killed and many more injured in two separate terror attacks in Upper Dangri village in Rajouri district on January 1 evening and January 2 morning.
In the latest terror attack, two children were killed and several others injured after a suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast took place in Rajouri's Upper Dangri village on Monday morning. |
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