In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, panic gripped a village in Rajouri district of Jammu region after a member of Indian Army-backed Village Defence Guards, formerly known as Village Defence Committees, fired some gunshots.
The VDG member, Yashpal, who also affiliated with a Hindutva organization, fired several rounds in the air in Androla area of the district, triggering panic among the residents.
It is to mention here that over 5,000 members of the VDGs have been given rifles and more are queuing up for arms in Rajouri district in the last few days. There are around 28,000 VDGs in the Jammu region. Since the weapons have been issued to the VDG members without any regulations and control mechanism, mishandling and misuse of guns remain a matter of serious concern.
There are more than 200 FIRs related to the cases of murder, rape, rioting and drugs registered against the VDG members in various districts.—KMS
