SRINAGAR: Kashmir’s octogenarian leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani has expressed strong resentment against the state Home Secretary’s statement that the Village Defence Committees will not be disbanded.
In the nineties, the government armed ordinary civilians in remote areas to form these VDCs to fight militants.
The role of these committees has come into question following communal clashes in Kishtwar district on Friday which left three dead and dozens injured besides large scale damage of property in arson.
Separatist leaders in Kashmir have for long been demanding that the VDCs be disbanded, alleging its members were “mainly Hindus targetting Muslim villagers”.
Even a local legislator, Engineer Rashid, backed such a demand.
The Home Minister, according to reports, said that VDC members “misused” their weapons only in Padder village of Kishtwar and that there were no plans to disband these.
Geelani has warned that continuing with the VDCs will jeopardise the property of Muslims and also the honour of women.
“VDCs are terrorist militia which are not accountable,” he said.
He said he was surprised as to how the Home Secretary ignored certain events. “Why didn’t he make a mention of the rape of a Muslim girl by VDC members and also the killing of a tenth class student.”
“Why didn’t he mention that the VDC members have been terrorising the Muslims by throwing stones at their houses,” he said.
Geelani said he would not budge from his demand to disband the VDCs. He said that if the VDCs are allowed to function and “unleash terror”, the blame for the repercussions would lay on the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“Then he won’t be able to give this weak excuse that he did not create the VDCs and that the police did.”
