By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Jammu: Right-wing organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has warned the Jammu and Kashmir government against any move intended to disband the controversial Village Defence Committees (VDCs).
While terming them instrumental in combating terrorism in state, VHP patron of Jammu and Kashmir, Rama Kant Dubey told reporters in Jammu: “VDCs are working shoulder to shoulder with security forces in combating terrorism in the state and their services should be properly utilised for this purpose. The VDCs must be given all encouragement from the Government and also the regular grades as per police personnel.”
Importantly, this month the issue of disbanding VDCs hogged headlines after three people including a mother-son duo were killed in two incidents within a time span of one week at the hands of Village Defence Committee members in Rajouri.
The VDCs were created during the peak of militancy in year 1995 by the government to combat then growing militancy by providing military training to locals. The locals were equipped with weapons to counter militant attacks, as the militants frequently used villages as their bases.
The VHP leader termed the beginning of VDC a game changer and said, “To counter terrorism during last two decades, members of VDCs have laid down their lives in the State and it was due to their efforts and service to the nation that the mass migration from hilly areas of Jammu region was stopped and the game plan of separatists and Pakistan was thwarted to a great extent. It was with their efforts that the migration from upper reaches of Bhaderwah, Doda , Kishtwar, Poonch and Rajouri was stopped and people stayed back in their homes and hearts.”
While given a clean chit to VDC member involved in the murder of National Conference youth leader Ishtiaq Choudhary, the VHP patron said, “ the bullet had accidentally hit the Ishtiyaq Choudhary. Giving a communal tinge to the episode can be dangerous as such incidents have also taken place in past too.”
According to report of a Kashmir-based newspaper, Rising Kashmir , the Village Defence Committee members of Rajouri District in Jammu Division on Monday, December 28 had blocked Jammu-Poonch highway for four hours to protest against any demands by government to surrender the guns allotted to them.
“VDC members assembled at Muradpur in Rajouri and staged a protest demonstration to support the VDCs. The protesters blocked the Jammu-Poonch highway and chanted slogans against the separatist leaders, accusing them of targeting minority communities in the Rajouri-Poonch belt by demanding disbanding of the VDCs,” reported the newspaper.
Meanwhile the issue of disbanding VDC’s has not gone well with the state BJP, which does not support the idea, whereas the issue had found strong support among regional parties including the leaders of the current party in party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
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