Police to revamp VDCs in Kishtwar

Nearly 500 elderly Village Defence Committee (VDC) members and Special Police Officers (SPO) in Jammu’s  Kishtwar district will be replaced soon, a senior police officer said on Sunday.

The step is part of a strategy to counter militancy relatedactivities in the hilly district which was rattled by the killing of BJP statesecretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar on November 1 last year,followed by the assassination of senior RSS leader Chanderkant Sharma and hissecurity guard inside a health centre on April 9.

   

The decision was taken despite reservations expressed byformer Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti over arming of civilians in Chenab valley.”Keeping in view the present security scenario in Kishtwar town and theoverstaying of SPOs in the district (Kishtwar), an overhauling is being done. Aprocess to replace 352 VDC members and 117 VDC SPOs who are above the age of 60years has been set into motion,” the officer said.

The SPOs, who have overstayed at a particular place have alsobeen replaced. Besides this, 9 VDC SPOs have been disengaged from the VDC rollsfor non compliance of orders, the officer said.

In response to the recently held SPOs recruitment, he said alist of around 85 meritorious candidates was sent to police headquarters forfinal approval.

The VDCs were setup in the mid-1990s with an aim tostrengthen the security in remote and mountainous areas of Doda, Kishtwar,Ramba, Rajouri, Reasi, Kathua and Poonch districts of the region.

The members of these committees not only guard theidentified villages along the border, but also the infrastructuralinstallations in and around them. 

Kishtwar along with several other districts of Jammuprovince were declared militancy free over a decade ago but after the recent killings,the authorities have taken various steps to counter attempts by militants togain a foothold in the Chenab valley. Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M KSinha recently said at least 10 local militants– eight belonging to HizbulMujahideen and two affiliated to Lashker-e-Toiba– were active in thedistrict. 

Describing the reported plans of the Centre and the Jammuand Kashmir administration to arm civilians in the sensitive Chenab valley as”alarming”, Mufti, who is also Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)president, had warned that the move would have “dangerousconsequences”.

She said similar experiments of arming civilians under theanti-militancy grid in the 1990s had led to complete chaos and the woundsinflicted upon the general masses were still fresh.

“Reports about the administration trying to armcivilians under the garb of creating VDC in Chenab valley are disturbing andalarming especially at the time when the government has to be inclusive toavoid further alienation of youth across the state,” Mufti had said in astatement on Saturday.

On Friday, police registered a case against former PDP MLCFirdous Tak and some other party leaders after they staged a demonstrationagainst the state administration for strengthening VDCs in the district. 

Mufti dubbed the FIR “false and frivolous” anddemanded its immediate rollback.

On July 17, a three-member delegation of senior BJP leadersled by former deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh met Governor Satya Pal Malikat Raj Bhavan in Srinagar and demanded the strengthening of the securityapparatus including VDCs and provision of mobile bunkers in Chenab valleyregion.

They expressed concern regarding growing threats to thesafety and security of people, illegal encroachments on forest land, and incidentsof bovine smuggling in the region.

The Governor had assured the delegation due consideration ofits demands.

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