Village guards being trained to handle weapons
The Border Security Force (BSF) commenced the first round of three-day advance training for village defence guards (VDGs) in four villages of Samba district of Jammu on Thursday, officials aware of the matter said, adding VDGs across Jammu and Kathua districts will also be trained.
The move comes amid heightened security and high alert in Jammu and Kashmir, especially the villages sharing borders with Pakistan, since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's successful execution of Operation Sindoor.
VDGs are armed civilians who volunteer from identified villages along the borders and in-depth areas of Jammu for safety and security of such villages in case of emergencies.
Shashank Anand, BSF inspector general (IG) from the Jammu sector, said, 'All villages near the international border and NH-44 are being trained. This is the first and largest such exercise undertaken by the BSF. While the forces are on the ground and not letting their guard down, the village guards can act as first responders. The three days advance training by the BSF will help them in thwarting any attack if it happens.'
The officer did not share details of the number of volunteers but said that the extensive exercise will cover all villages near the borders.
The volunteers already have weapons given to them by the state government. They will act as force multipliers and are being given better training to deal with any emergency. The response has been good,' Anand said.
On Thursday, the force began training in four panchayats of Samba — Suchetpur, Galar, Chak Faquira and Khanpur.
Shivati Sharma, sarpanch of the Galar panchayat, which has seven villages home to 800-1000 people, said, 'Our village is right next to the border. The volunteers had been trained for a day by the police when they were given the weapons. BSF officers giving advanced training for 3 days to each volunteer will bolster our confidence. Galar has around 20 volunteers. We expect more volunteers to join the village defence force now that BSF is holding the training.'
Samba was one of the most targeted areas by Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor. Women personnel from BSF in the district successfully responded to firing from Pakistan outposts and destroyed their communication equipment. BSF has proposed to name one of the outposts in Samba sector as Sindoor- reference to Operation Sindoor – India's successful military response to the Pahalgam terror strike.
Anand had on Tuesday said that BSF, which destroyed at least three terror launch pads in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, is on high alert 'as Pakistan cannot be trusted'. During Operation Sindoor, Pakistan Rangers had also provided cover to infiltrators, who were trying to infiltrate into Jammu. Seven such terrorists were killed on the night of May 9 in Samba sector.
The officer added that the security forces are expediting the installation of better sensors at the border to detect even the slightest movement of infiltrators from Pakistan.
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