Udhampur terror attack: Village Defence Committees' action breathes new life into setup nearing extinction

NEW DELHI: The Village Defence Committees (VDCs) of Udhampur who provided cover to the Army and the police to nab terrorist Naved has breathed new life into the setup that was nearing extinction, as new theatres of conflict appear in Jammu.

After Naved fled the highway and tried to take hostages, VDC members provided information of his movements to the Army and fired at him to check him from outpacing soldiers chasing him. They played a major role in the terrorist’s capture.

“There are enough examples in the Jammu region to show how the involvement of locals and VDCs has reduced militancy to near negligible levels,” a senior military official at Udhampur told ET. VDCs, created as part of a counter-terror mechanism during the peak of insurgency in the 1990s, comprised 20-30 members, including women, who were trained by Army units and equipped with British era .303 rifles. Villagers harassed by regular visits of militants were kept at bay by VDCs. They provided vital information to security forces too.

Tahir Fazal, a famed VDC head from the conflict ridden twin villages of Marrah-Kulali near LoC, was awarded on numerous occasions for his role in leading the largest civilian offensive against militants in 2003. He laments the indifference in recognising VDCs: “Initially, a VDC would have an average of 20-30 members with about 20 weapons, today each village has about 4-5 members each with an obsolete weapon,” Tahir told ET. Wednesday’s operation, however, may change that.