J&K: Village Defence Committee Members in Doda Receives Specialised Trained in Guerrilla Warfare, Automatic Weapons

June 6, 2026

Srinagar: Village Defense Committee (VDC) members in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district have been given specialised training in handling automatic weapons and techniques of guerrilla warfare.

VDC members of the Doda district have expressed confidence in tackling any security challenge following specialized training in handling automatic weapons and guerrilla warfare techniques, officials said on Saturday.

As part of efforts to strengthen security in far-flung border villages, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Doda Police conducted a training program for VDC members from villages adjoining Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district.

A police spokesperson said the initiative was aimed at enhancing internal security and improving the preparedness of local defense volunteers to effectively counter possible terrorist activities in vulnerable areas.

The training, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations), Amit Kumar, focused on the handling of Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs) recently issued to VDC members and imparted skills related to guerrilla warfare.

Security Preparedness Strengthened in Border Areas

The program was held at Lower Bheja village and attended by VDC members from Katyara, Sharekhi, Upper Bheja, Bharai, Butla and Sehad villages.

Around 150 VDC members, including two women volunteers from the remote Athkhar Valley of Bhaderwah, participated in the training session, he said.

Not only male members, but female members of the VDCs have shown eagerness in getting training to handle automatic weapons in order to protect themselves and their families from terrorists.

VDC members said they had been assisting security forces in anti-terror operations since 1997 and remained committed to safeguarding their villages and maintaining the country’s sovereignty.

VDCs Continue Key Role in Counterterrorism Operations

Officials said the specialized training program is part of a broader strategy to strengthen grassroots counter-terrorism preparedness in Doda district.

The initiative equips local volunteers with combat skills, weapon-handling expertise, and tactical knowledge to support security forces in remote areas. Security officials said the strengthening of VDCs, coupled with sustained anti-terror operations in higher reaches, forms a multi-layered security framework aimed at preventing terrorist infiltration, denying support networks and ensuring lasting peace in the region.

In Jammu and Kashmir, VDCs are community-based self-defense groups first established in the mid-1990s to protect remote and vulnerable areas against militant attacks. They act as a force multiplier for formal security forces.

VDCs were first formed in 1995 in the erstwhile Doda district (now Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban). Following the January 2023 terror attacks in Rajouri, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs revamped and rechristened these units as Village Defence Guards (VDGs).

Each VDG/VDC is provided with a gun and 100 rounds of ammunition. Under the revamped VDG policy, members receive fixed, equal monthly remuneration directly credited to their bank accounts.

They are heavily concentrated in border and hilly terrains across the Jammu division, particularly in districts like Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch.