Dangers of VDC culture in a conflict zone

Though once former US President Bill Clinton during the days of presidency called Jammu & Kashmir one of the deadliest conflict zones of the world but unmindful of such serious remarks from the head of the state of the most powerful country of the world the Jammu & Kashmir Government is once again planing to revive the VDC (Village Defence Committee) culture to arm civilians for the purposes of self defence. Once arms are put in the hands of people not controlled and commanded by a responsible police functionary, the threat of misuse of arms by civilians could prove detrimental in Jammu areas particularly Chenab valley and Pir Panchal districts where members of civil defence committees (VDC) formed in mid nineties were found threats to the lives of civilians in yesteryears. Reviving VDCs would by all standards of understandabilities prove dangerous for peace in the Chenab valley and Pir Panchal districts otherwise considered to be peace zones in Jammu region. Filing of an FIR against a legislator over his remarks against the revival of VDCs in Kishtwar area of Chenab valley is an unwelcome step. Though the killing of two political workers two from BJP and one from RSS in Kishtwar area in recent months has put the government in a tight spot but the decision to revive VDCs instead of upgrading the security of political workers vulnerable to threats from hostile armed groups is an unwise decision.
Since the government has already increased the deployment of army, paramilitary CRPF and police in the sensitive areas of Kishtwar district, the decision to revive VDCs is an unwelcome and unwise decision deserving immediate review and finally the roll back in the larges interests of the security of the people of all communities in Chenab valley particularly Kishtwar district. Knowing that cases of killings and rioting were registered even against the VDC members in the past several years, the government has to take care of the concerns raised from the people about the conduct and activities of the VDC members. The concerns of the people about the conduct and activities of the VDC members deserve a more thorough review and more so when youth are inducted into the VDCs proposed to be constituted afresh in the identified areas of the Chenab valley districts. Since people concerned about the security of the Chenab Valley districts are seeing it as a machination of RSS and BJP to create strife in the region, the demands for the inclusion of equal number of volunteers into the VDCs raised from several political and non political quarters in Chenab valley deserve the immediate attention of the government. Any hasty decision on the revival and reconstitution of VDCs could be a threat to the political harmony in the Chenab valley districts particularly Kishtwar district.