Equip VDG members with modern weapons : J&K BJP

Jammu: Terming the killing of Village Defence Guard (VDG) member Mohammed Sharief in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district as unfortunate and most inhuman act, the members of J&K UT, BJP, VDG Cell on Wednesday demanded that VDG members should not be posted out of their villages and also be equipped with modern weapons.
“The VDG members are being posted out of their villages to other areas, which is against the spirit of the constitution of these bodies,” said Basant Raj Thakur, Convenor J&K UT, BJP, VDG Cell, while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here.
He said that the VDGs are performing their duties with the old 303 rifles, which are not capable of responding to the modern weapons of the terrorists.
The members also demanded that the culprits should be identified and punished.
Thakur said that the VDG members are doing great service to the nation and the people of their areas.
They have lost their precious lives while performing their duties. Their contribution in fighting terrorism in remote, far-flung areas of Jammu and Kashmir UT has been splendid.
He said, “the VDG members have been facing a number of problems in their areas of operations and have been making repeated representations for getting their demands fulfilled so that they can perform their task more effectively and help local police and other forces while undertaking anti-insurgency operations.”
Thakur added that the VDGs have genuine demands which need to be considered sympathetically and fulfilled immediately and said, “the government should stop the ongoing practice of posting the VDG members out of their villages; they should be equipped with the modern rifles like those of J&K police.”
The VDG members should be given relief at par with police constables.
The honorarium of the VDGs should be enhanced to Rs 10,000, the unpaid VDGs be given regular honorarium, the rifles of the retired members should be transformed to their family members.
Thakur further said that the files pertaining to recruiting VDG members on retirement of older members are lying in the office of the district police headquarters, and should be cleared without any delay.
Later, Basant Raj Thakur and VDG Cell office bearers paid tributes to Mohammed Sharief, who was killed by militants.
He was flanked by VDG Cell office bearers Ramesh Katoch, Narinder Kotwal, Rajesh Sharma, Hardeep Manhas, Ravinder Manhas, Uttam Chand, Sukhdev, Ashok Kumar, Surjeet and Sudesh Fouji.
UNI