{"id":4360,"date":"2023-02-28T12:10:41","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T12:10:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=4360"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:51:52","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:51:52","slug":"india-revives-private-militia-after-hindus-killed-in-kashmir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/health-and-lifestyle\/india-revives-private-militia-after-hindus-killed-in-kashmir\/2023\/02\/28\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"India revives private militia after Hindus killed in Kashmir"},"content":{"rendered":"

DANGURI,<\/span> India<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> After<\/span> two<\/span> consecutive<\/span> attacks<\/span> in<\/span> early<\/span> January<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> disputed<\/span> Kashmir<\/span> village<\/span> of<\/span> Danguri<\/span> killed<\/span> seven<\/span> Hindus,<\/span> former<\/span> Indian<\/span> soldier<\/span> Satish<\/span> Kumar<\/span> said:<\/span> He<\/span> described<\/span> his<\/span> sleepy<\/span> mountain<\/span> village<\/span> as<\/span> “a<\/span> dwelling<\/span> place<\/span> of<\/span> horrors.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Hundreds<\/span> of<\/span> residents<\/span> have<\/span> staged<\/span> angry<\/span> protests<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Hindu-dominated<\/span> Jammu<\/span> region,<\/span> days<\/span> after<\/span> deadly<\/span> violence<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> village<\/span> of<\/span> Rajuli,<\/span> where<\/span> houses<\/span> are<\/span> separated<\/span> by<\/span> corn<\/span> and<\/span> mustard<\/span> fields.<\/span> In<\/span> response,<\/span> Indian<\/span> authorities<\/span> revived<\/span> the<\/span> government-backed<\/span> militia<\/span> and<\/span> began<\/span> arming<\/span> and<\/span> training<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> villagers,<\/span> including<\/span> some<\/span> teenagers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Kumar<\/span> was<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> to<\/span> join<\/span> the<\/span> militia<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> new<\/span> movement,<\/span> and<\/span> authorities<\/span> armed<\/span> him<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> semi-automatic<\/span> rifle<\/span> and<\/span> his<\/span> 100<\/span> rounds<\/span> of<\/span> bullets.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“I<\/span> feel<\/span> like<\/span> a<\/span> soldier<\/span> again,”<\/span> said<\/span> Kumar,<\/span> 40,<\/span> who<\/span> runs<\/span> a<\/span> grocery<\/span> store<\/span> since<\/span> retiring<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Indian<\/span> Army<\/span> in<\/span> 2018.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Officially<\/span> called<\/span> the<\/span> Village<\/span> Defense<\/span> Corps,<\/span> the<\/span> militia<\/span> was<\/span> formed<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> 1990s<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> front<\/span> line<\/span> of<\/span> defense<\/span> against<\/span> anti-Indian<\/span> militants<\/span> in<\/span> remote<\/span> Himalayan<\/span> villages<\/span> not<\/span> readily<\/span> reachable<\/span> by<\/span> government<\/span> forces.<\/span> The<\/span> militias<\/span> were<\/span> largely<\/span> disbanded<\/span> as<\/span> armed<\/span> groups<\/span> relaxed<\/span> in<\/span> their<\/span> areas<\/span> of<\/span> operation<\/span> and<\/span> some<\/span> militia<\/span> members<\/span> became<\/span> known<\/span> for<\/span> their<\/span> atrocities<\/span> and<\/span> abuses<\/span> and<\/span> were<\/span> harshly<\/span> criticized<\/span> by<\/span> human<\/span> rights<\/span> groups.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>However,<\/span> the<\/span> January<\/span> riots<\/span> have<\/span> followed<\/span> previous<\/span> attacks<\/span> in<\/span> Rajuri,<\/span> near<\/span> the<\/span> highly<\/span> militarized<\/span> line<\/span> of<\/span> control<\/span> that<\/span> divides<\/span> Kashmir<\/span> between<\/span> India<\/span> and<\/span> Pakistan,<\/span> where<\/span> fighting<\/span> between<\/span> Indian<\/span> soldiers<\/span> and<\/span> rebels<\/span> is<\/span> not<\/span> uncommon.<\/span> It<\/span> brought<\/span> back<\/span> unpleasant<\/span> memories.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> people<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> region<\/span> have<\/span> largely<\/span> remained<\/span> silent<\/span> and<\/span> civil<\/span> freedom<\/span> was<\/span> restricted.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>When<\/span> violence<\/span> erupted<\/span> in<\/span> Danguri,<\/span> the<\/span> Indian<\/span> government<\/span> quickly<\/span> ramped<\/span> up<\/span> the<\/span> civilian<\/span> militia<\/span> despite<\/span> announcing<\/span> a<\/span> reorganization<\/span> last<\/span> August.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>For<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> time,<\/span> the<\/span> militia<\/span> also<\/span> received<\/span> financial<\/span> incentives<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> government,<\/span> which<\/span> announced<\/span> that<\/span> each<\/span> member<\/span> would<\/span> receive<\/span> INR<\/span> 4,000<\/span> (US$48)<\/span> a<\/span> month.<\/span> Still,<\/span> the<\/span> decision<\/span> to<\/span> revive<\/span> the<\/span> village<\/span> defense<\/span> force<\/span> is<\/span> not<\/span> without<\/span> controversy.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Some<\/span> security<\/span> and<\/span> political<\/span> experts<\/span> argue<\/span> that<\/span> politics<\/span> could<\/span> weaponize<\/span> divisions<\/span> in<\/span> Jammu’s<\/span> unstable<\/span> hinterland,<\/span> where<\/span> communal<\/span> strife<\/span> has<\/span> historically<\/span> erupted.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>More<\/span> than<\/span> 200<\/span> police<\/span> cases<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> registered<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> against<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> militia<\/span> members<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Jammu<\/span> region,<\/span> including<\/span> rape,<\/span> murder<\/span> and<\/span> sedition<\/span> charges,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> government.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>\u201cThe<\/span> proliferation<\/span> of<\/span> small<\/span> arms<\/span> is<\/span> dangerous<\/span> for<\/span> any<\/span> society,<\/span> and<\/span> when<\/span> a<\/span> state<\/span> does<\/span> this,<\/span> it<\/span> is<\/span> a<\/span> tacit<\/span> admission<\/span> that<\/span> it<\/span> has<\/span> failed<\/span> to<\/span> secure<\/span> a<\/span> society,\u201d<\/span> said<\/span> political<\/span> analyst<\/span> Zafar<\/span> Chowdhury.<\/span> rice<\/span> field.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>India<\/span> has<\/span> a<\/span> long<\/span> history<\/span> of<\/span> arming<\/span> civilians<\/span> in<\/span> counter-insurgency<\/span> efforts,<\/span> and<\/span> civilian<\/span> militias<\/span> were<\/span> first<\/span> deployed<\/span> to<\/span> fight<\/span> separatists<\/span> in<\/span> India’s<\/span> northeastern<\/span> states.<\/span> In<\/span> 2005,<\/span> the<\/span> Indian<\/span> federal<\/span> government<\/span> created<\/span> a<\/span> local<\/span> militia,<\/span> the<\/span> Salwa<\/span> Judum,<\/span> to<\/span> fight<\/span> Maoist<\/span> rebels<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> central<\/span> state<\/span> of<\/span> Chhattisgarh.<\/span> She<\/span> was<\/span> disbanded<\/span> in<\/span> 2011<\/span> after<\/span> being<\/span> accused<\/span> of<\/span> committing<\/span> widespread<\/span> atrocities<\/span> by<\/span> human<\/span> rights<\/span> groups.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Kashmir,<\/span> civil<\/span> defense<\/span> groups<\/span> have<\/span> taken<\/span> up<\/span> arms<\/span> almost<\/span> six<\/span> years<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> deadly<\/span> uprising<\/span> against<\/span> Indian<\/span> rule<\/span> began.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> few<\/span> months<\/span> later,<\/span> the<\/span> Indian<\/span> government<\/span> formally<\/span> introduced<\/span> a<\/span> policy<\/span> of<\/span> arming<\/span> villagers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Security<\/span> officials<\/span> say<\/span> armed<\/span> civilians<\/span> have<\/span> helped<\/span> deter<\/span> militant<\/span> activity<\/span> and<\/span> stem<\/span> the<\/span> exodus<\/span> of<\/span> Hindus<\/span> from<\/span> remote<\/span> areas,<\/span> unlike<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Kashmir<\/span> Valley,<\/span> a<\/span> year<\/span> after<\/span> armed<\/span> rebellion<\/span> broke<\/span> out.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DANGURI, India (AP) – After two consecutive attacks in early January in the disputed Kashmir village of Danguri killed seven Hindus, former Indian soldier Satish Kumar said: He described his sleepy mountain village as “a dwelling place of horrors.” Hundreds of residents have staged angry protests in the Hindu-dominated Jammu region, days after deadly violence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4361,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[562,779,2406,2407],"tags":[55,57,1280,1281,1282,1283,1284,1285,1286],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/kashmir.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4360"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4360"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4363,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4360\/revisions\/4363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}