Women VDGs Guard Jammu’s Remote Villages During Winters As Men Migrate...

Key Highlights

• Their presence has significantly strengthened local security arrangements, particularly during periods when villages face reduced manpower, the officer said, admitting that women’s participation in village defence is not a new phenomenon in the region.
• In September 2009, Rukhsana Kausar, a Gujjar woman from Upper Kalsi in Rajouri district, displayed exemplary bravery and shot dead a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, an act that earned her numerous national and state awards, including Kirti Chakra, the country’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, besides a job in Jammu and Kashmir Police.
• “In the hilly Chenab region, particularly in Doda, harsh winters compel many men to migrate to states such as Uttarakhand, Delhi and Mumbai in search of livelihood.
• This seasonal migration leaves several villages without able-bodied male members, except for a few elderly residents, making them vulnerable to the activities of anti-national elements,” Sharma said.
• To address this gap, he said the state police has trained women as VDGs.