Security has been heightened in J&K’s Kishtwar district after militants killed two village defence guards (VDGs) here on Thursday.
Earlier, the mortal remains of village defence guards Nazir Ahmad and Kuldeep Kumar were brought to their native village in Ohli-Kuntwara.
On Friday, after being kidnapped and killed by the militants, the bodies of both deceased were recovered by the police in the neighbouring forest area of the village.
As the news of the kidnappings spread, a joint team of police along with the CRPF and the army initiated a massive search operation to locate the missing VDGs. During the searches in the area, they recovered the bodies of both slain guards and brought the mortal remains of both men to their families.
The incident received widespread condemnation from all sections of the society including political circles, business communities, and civil societies, who collectively condemned the attack and killing as a “barbaric and heinous act”.
Meanwhile, UT chief minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the killing and said, “I am deeply saddened and concerned by the attack," adding that the security forces should take more steps to prevent the escalating incidents of violence taking place in the UT.
Abdullah in a post on X wrote, “Deeply saddened & concerned by the attack that resulted in the deaths of Kuldeep Kumar & Nazeer Ahmed Padder of Kuntwara in Kishtwar, members of the local village defence committee. The terrorists killed two innocent men who had taken their livestock to graze. I condemn this attack unequivocally & send my condolences to the families. At the same time, I expect the security forces to move quickly to plug any gaps in our counter-terror grid & ensure that attacks like this stop completely.”
JK Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha, who condemned the attack on two Village Defence Guards in Kishtwar. He warned the militants that their entire setup and structure would be uprooted from the J&K.
On Thursday, terrorists killed two Village Defence Group (VDG) members in Kishtwar. The deceased were identified as Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar. They had gone to graze their cattle in the forest.
It's important to mention that this is not the first incident where ill-equipped, ill-trained and defenceless village guards have been attacked by the militants.
Before this, multiple attacks have occurred where VDGs have been killed or seriously injured while confronting the highly trained, equipped with highly modernised weapons militants in the Jammu region.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Home Affairs recently announced an upgrade in the weapons and training with armour protection Wests for VDGs to fight the militants in the region.
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