Latest news with #VDGs
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ahead of Amarnath Yatra, BSF arms VDGs along Pak border with semi-automatic weapons
Post-Operation Sindoor and with the Amarnath Yatra coming up from July 3, the BSF has begun training village defence guards (VDGs) in operating semi-automatic self-loading rifles (SLRs) in the border districts of Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to check infiltration and take on terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons. The BSF, which began training VDGs in a phased manner along the 200-km border with Pakistan a week ago, has already equipped VDGs in Kathua and Samba districts with skills to operate and maintain SLRs. At present, the training is underway in Ranbir Singh (RS) Pura sector of Jammu and Arnia in Akhnoor. VDGs in Rajouri and Poonch districts will be undergoing in the next phase. 'Our training is based on weapon drills, night patrols, swift communication with BSF posts and emergency response to any contingency,' a Border Security Force officer said, requesting anonymity. 'VDGs are the eyes, ears and arms of the forces. They play a significant role in counter-terror operations and ensure vigil on inimical elements with the overall aim of ensuring lasting peace,' he said. 'Our BSF instructors have trained us on how to take position and engage terrorists for around three to four hours till the time security forces arrive in the event of an attack,' Jasvir Singh, a VDG from RS Pura, said, adding 'We are with our forces and shall abide by their directions.' The training assumes significance in the backdrop of the terror attack at Pahalgam, the base camp for the Amarnath Yatra, that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead on April 22 and triggered the targeted strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan under Operation Sindoor on May 7. After the weapon upgrade and training, VDGs said they are better equipped to take on terrorists armed with US M4 carbines and AK-47s. Earlier, the estimated 6,000 VDGs in Jammu and Kashmir had been armed with obsolete 303 rifles. Guards at Dhangri village in Rajouri district were an exception after they were provided SLRs and Insas rifles in the wake of the terror attack in 2023 that left seven members of a Hindu family dead. 'The 303 rifles had to be loaded after each fire, but now they have been replaced with SLRs. It gives us more confidence and we are ready to do our bit,' said Om Prakash Sharma, another VDG. After the Dhangri terror attack on January 1, 2023, the Union home ministry had issued over 200 SLRs to the VDGs in Rajouri district to effectively take on Pakistani terrorists. Former Jammu and Kashmir director general of police SP Vaid, who was the man behind the setting up of village defence committees in the border areas, backed the weapon upgrade and training. 'I completely endorse the move. They (VDGs) must be trained in SLRs. When I was deputy inspector general (DIG), Jammu, in 2000, I had formed VDCs from Kathua to Akhnoor. In the rapidly changing war dynamics, this move is definitely going to give more teeth to the security forces in combating Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.' Jammu and Kashmir has an estimated 875 village defence committees (VDCs) with nearly 6,000 VDGs. VDCs are an important part of the anti-terrorism grid and were first set up in the mid-1990s in the Chenab Valley to arm villagers to defend themselves against Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
NDTV
5 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
BSF Trains Villagers In J&K Border Areas On How Firearms Work, Self-Defence
Srinagar: The Border Security Force (BSF) is training villagers living in border areas in Jammu and Kashmir with self-defence techniques and firearms familiarisation, officials told NDTV. The move comes amid Operation Sindoor, India's ongoing offensive against all forms of terror following the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam by Pakistan-linked terrorists. The training is being given under the Village Defence Guard (VDG) programme, officials said, adding the villagers can supplement the BSF in stopping infiltration, smuggling using drones, and movement of illegal weapons. Officials said the villagers have been taught basic firearms skills and other self-defence techniques so that they can remain calm and not panic during an emergency. The training is being organised at BSF posts. For now, the firearms training is only a demonstration for familiarisation with assault rifles such as the AK series and INSAS, and how hand grenades work. The civilians have been taught how to detect drones and track them, officials said. Night patrolling, noting down information from reconnaissance walks, and sending information to BSF check posts are some of the tasks the VDGs have been encouraged to do. The BSF is also providing special self-defence training to women and teens in some areas, officials said. "The enthusiasm of young people is seen in many border villages," an official said. The VDGs include school teachers and panchayat heads. BSF officials said vigilant civilians can become the first line of defence in stopping smuggling of arms and other items using drones. With training, the BSF hopes the confidence of villagers will increase and they will become more active in sharing information with the paramilitary force. This training campaign can become a model of citizen participation in national security, they said. Under Operation Sindoor, India smashed terror and military infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir with precision missile strikes after the terror attack in Pahalgam.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BSF fortifies village guards initiative with arms training for Jammu border residents
Post Operation Sindoor, the Border Security Force has started arms training for village defence guards (VDGs) along the Jammu border with Pakistan. The civilians residing in border villages are being trained as the 'second line of defence' in the wake of infiltration by terrorists and terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior government official said on Thursday (May 29, 2025). The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also sanctioned the deployment of more than 52,000 Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel for the Amarnath Yatra commencing on July 3. As many as 581 companies, each comprising 90-100 personnel, will be deployed for the security of the pilgrimage, which concludes on August 9, 2025. This will be one of highest deployments of security personnel in the area in at least the past three years. The yatra route is close to the Baisaran meadow in Kashmir Valley's Pahalgam, which witnessed a deadly terror attack on April 22, 2025 that left 26 civilians dead. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director-General G.P. Singh has been camping in J&K to review security preparedness. Home Minister Amit Shah is set to review the arrangements during his two-day visit to Jammu and Poonch on Thursday (May 29, 2025) and Friday (May 30, 2025). The VDG initiative was revived in 2022 in the Jammu belt after a gap of more than 20 years in the wake of a resurgence of terrorist activity in the region. In the past three years, more than 22 civilians have been killed in targeted terrorist attacks in the Jammu region, which includes the Chenab Valley, Kathua-Samba and areas south of the Pir Panjal comprising Rajouri and Poonch districts. The official told The Hindu that the VDGs can act as 'force multipliers' in cases of emergency and initially, training will be provided in villages that lie between the International Boundary (IB) and National Highway-44 in Jammu. Since 2022, the J&K Police have provided semi-automatic weapons to the VDGs to act in self-defence. When the scheme to arm civilians was first started in 1995 in 10 districts of Jammu, as members of the Hindu community were targeted and killed by terrorists, the civilians were provided with .303 rifles. 'The J&K Police have identified residents who are to be imparted training. They can be the first responders in case of terror attacks. Other than basic arms training, we are sharing tactical knowledge with the VDGs. In case of an encounter with terrorists, with whatever basic weapons they have, the civilians will be able to contain them and prevent their escape,' said the official. The BSF is organising 'firing practice' camps close to its border outposts so that the residents get confident in handling weapons. 'In case an infiltration takes place, the armed residents can act as eyes and ears on the ground. Refresher training will be conducted after a couple of months,' said the official, adding that this was the first time the BSF has been engaged. The CRPF and J&K Police had provided arms training to civilians in Rajouri and Poonch areas earlier. On Thursday (May 29, 2025), the BSF-Jammu posted on X, 'On 29 May, 2025, a three-day training program for VDGs began in Samba's border villages, Galar, Chak Faquira, Khanpur and Suchetpur. The program focusses on building skills to safeguard communities, boost situational awareness and counter security threats effectively.' On March 23, 2025, locals spotted unidentified terrorists in Kathua, a few kilometres from the border, following which security forces had launched an operation. Two terrorists and four policemen were killed after a fierce encounter in the Kathua forests on March 27, 2025. The 192-km International Boundary (IB) along Jammu is secured by the BSF while the 740-km Line of Control (LoC), the effective border in the Kashmir Valley and parts of Jammu, is under the operational control of the Army. In the 1990s, around 30,000 weapons were distributed in various phases to civilians in Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, Doda and Kishtwar districts by the local administration when militancy was at its peak in J&K. The scheme was discontinued amid allegations of crimes, such as abduction and rape, committed by the members. A parliamentary committee was recently informed by the External Affairs Ministry that at least 24 terrorist-initiated incidents were reported in 2024 and more than 30 civilians were killed.
