Village Defence Guard Injured in Udhampur Militant Attack

A member of the Village Defence Guard (VDG) was injured on Sunday morning when suspected militants opened fire at a patrolling party in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. A senior police officer confirmed the incident at the Basantgarh area of Chochru Gala Heights, and said they have cordoned off the area.

According to police sources, the incident took place when a party from the Sang police picket, including VDGs, were going towards Chochru Gala Heights and had a face-off with militants around 7.45 am. During the initial firefight, the VDG was injured and evacuated to the nearby hospital.

This is the second incident of a militant attack in the otherwise peaceful Jammu division since April 22. Last Monday, militants shot dead a villager Mohammad Raziq of Kunda Top in Rajouri district’s Shahdra Sharief area.

While Shahdra Sharief is part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, which is going to polls on May 7, Basantgarh falls in the Udhampur parliamentary constituency where polling was held during the first phase on April 19.

Village Defence Guards, once known as Village Defence Committee (VDC), is a group of civilians who are provided with guns and ammunition to tackle militants in case of an attack until security forces reach the particular area. They function under the direction of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the district concerned.