The Army has intensified village-level security measures in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district as part of ongoing counter-terror operations in the higher reaches of the Chenab valley. Officials said around 150 Village Defence Guards (VDGs) from 17 remote villages along the Doda–Chamba border are undergoing intensive training to strengthen local defence preparedness.
The programme includes instruction in weapon handling, self-defence, minor combat tactics, bunker construction, and techniques to repel enemy attacks. Women volunteers are also participating in the training, officials added.
The villages covered under the initiative are located in forested and mountainous terrain, areas where security forces have been carrying out extensive search operations following suspected militant movement. The training is being conducted at Shingini panchayat in the Bhalessa area, nearly 90 kilometres from the district headquarters.
Officials said the objective is to enable VDG members to protect their communities and function as a first line of defence. The initiative is designed to complement ongoing operations by the Army, police, and paramilitary forces against militants who had infiltrated the Chenab valley, particularly in Doda and Kishtwar districts, in earlier years.
VDG members welcomed the initiative, particularly the recent upgrade in firearms. Surinder Singh, a VDG member from Shingini, said the programme has brought together volunteers from multiple villages and provided them hands-on training close to home.
“We are being trained in weapon handling, bunker construction, and self-defence. Receiving such training at our doorstep is highly appreciable,” Singh said, while urging the government to provide additional automatic weapons, recalling frequent militant attacks in the region during the early 1990s.
Rajesh Kumar Thakur from Gauala village said the replacement of older .303 rifles with automatic weapons has boosted confidence among VDG members. “Our confidence has increased, and we now feel capable of defending our villages,” he said. Thakur also called for an honorarium for unpaid VDG members and noted that the construction of bunkers has helped reduce fear among residents.
Security officials said strengthening Village Defence Guards, along with sustained operations in the higher reaches, is part of a multi-layered strategy aimed at denying militants any support base and ensuring long-term stability in the region.
