By Altaf Hussain Wani
The Indian Government has recently announced its decision to revive the dreaded Village Defense Committees (VDCs) in the Indian occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The widely criticized move, being touted by the Indian Government as an attempt to strengthen its so-called security grid in the region, runs counter to its much-hyped normalcy narrative on Kashmir. The track record of members of VDCs, which include a diverse array of irregular forces ranging from renegade militant groups to criminal gangs, and their involvement in massive human rights abuses, highlights the dangerous nexus between the Indian Army, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and predominantly Hindu vigilante groups that have unleashed havoc by targeting marginalized communities, particularly the Muslims in communally sensitive areas of the region.
Indian Governments have repeatedly recruited these informal militia groups in Kashmir as proxies to counter the resistance movement. Instead of working to address the political aspirations of the people of the region, successive governments have time and again resorted to illegal measures that have had adverse impacts on civilians.
The intensity and ferocity of the VDC members over the years can be gauged by the fact that hundreds of cases relating to their direct involvement in crimes including murder, rape, plundering and rioting, remain pending in the courts across the region. Official estimates show that 221 cases have been filed against various VDC members over their involvement in these and other serious crimes. Amongst these, 23 VDC members have been charged with murder, and seven with rape. However, the conviction rate in the cases against VDCs is low, with only six cases having so far led to a conviction. That the Government of India is reviving these treacherous VDCs is alarming and does not auger well for the future of the region and safety of the communities.
Use of Mercenaries
The systematic use of irregular militias in Kashmir began in 1995 when a counter insurgency force, the Special Task Force (STF), was formed to neutralize the resistance struggle in the Kashmir valley by recruiting mercenaries. Captured and surrendered militants were redeployed as “counter-insurgents” or "friendlies”. Mohammad Yusuf Parray, alias Kuka Parray, Papa Kistawari, Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Mum Kana, Javed Shah, and Liaqat Khan, were amongst the renegade militants who were aided and abetted by the Government to fight alongside the military and other paramilitary forces.
Kuka Paray led his group, Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen. Other groups were operated by Javed Ahmad Shah (who had the backing of the State Police's Special Operations Group), and Liaqat Khan (who operated in Kashmir's Anantnag district). By late 1994 all three groups had merged into one entity known as Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen. Between 350 and 500 members of Ikhwan remained on active duty. They were controlled primarily by the Indian Army, but also worked with police and paramilitary personnel.
These renegade groups, viewed in Kashmir as unprincipled criminal gangs, remained active in the region for several years. Between 1996 and 1998, these mercenaries indulged wantonly and indiscriminately in gross violations of human rights, while the Indian military establishment completely shielded them with impunity. Even innocent women and children weren’t spared the violence of the mercenaries. The innumerable human rights violations committed by mercenary groups are widely corroborated by independent observers.
With weapons supplied by the Indian Government, these renegade groups ran a parallel administration in the mid 1990s. Decried by the Kashmiris as traitors, these groups committed grave human rights abuses including summary executions, torture, illegal detention, extortion, looting and plundering, and election-related intimidation of voters. At the same time, Special Operation Groups (SOGs) were created to unleash terror on common people in Kashmir.
Rather than holding the mercenaries accountable for their crimes, the Indian Government offered them seats in the state assembly and also conferred gallantry awards upon them. The height of the Government’s hypocrisy came in 2010 when one of these most feared and violent renegades - Ghulam Mohammed Mir (nicknamed as Muma Kana) - was awarded the Padma Shri by India for his appalling role in suppressing the freedom movement in Kashmir.
The Village Defense Committees (VDCs) in Jammu and Kashmir were originally established in 1995, initially in Doda District but within no time they mushroomed from 400 units to over 1,600 units. Initially, there were around 5,000 VDC members, but over the years their number has grown to over 27,000. Mostly, Hindus influenced by the RSS ideology, were recruited into the militia as part of the Government’s policy to keep a strict vigil on the activities of the Muslims in the region.
Working beyond the purview of the law, members of the State-backed militia soon turned into an unbridled band of thugs, who not only started to settle their personal scores but also involved themselves in massive human rights abuses and other anti-social activities. The VDCs, being largely composed of Hindus, have thus created an undercurrent of communal tension, especially in the villages with a mixed population.
Unsurprisingly, there has been a persistent demand by local Muslim leaders to disarm the VDCs as arms and ammunition allotted to them have been used in communal clashes which often broke out whenever there were targeted killings. According to reports, FIRs against 200 VDC members for committing crimes of a serious nature have been registered in different police stations of Doda, Samba, Udhampur and other Districts.
Over time these committees have mostly been absorbed into armed wings of BJP-RSS Brigade. The BJP Government’s decision to revive them under a new name is tantamount to pitting Hindus against Muslims in the region particularly in communally sensitive areas of Kishtwar, Doda, and Ramban.
Already occupied by 800,000 troops, the contentious decision to revive the dreaded militia is bound to push the region further into a quagmire of uncertainty and lawlessness. The move, fraught with serious political ramifications, is doomed to destroy communal harmony, polarize the social fabric, and widen the inter religious and ethnic divide.
The news of VDCs being revived has already deepened the communal strife in the region with Hindus applauding the decision while Muslims are opposing it. The Kashmiri leadership across the political spectrum has continuously voiced their grave concern over the move.
Along with socio-political leadership of Kashmir, many civil society members and human right groups including Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), have in the past, opposed the creation of VDCs in the past terming the policy and actions of the Indian State to control the people of Jammu and Kashmir through numerous informal and formal networks of forces, as ultra vires.
Political Parties’ Outrage Over the Move
The Kashmiri political parties have strongly objected to the constitution of VDG’s in the occupied territory saying that arming people without any set mechanism of accountability will lead to anarchy. Spokesperson of National Conference Imran Nabi Dar while reacting to the development said that the government’s words don’t match its actions. “Not so long ago, the Government was saying everything is hunky-dory in J & K ''. The decision, he said, puts a big question mark on the claims of the Indian government.
Former Chief Minister and President Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, in a tweet said, “The move of the Ministry of Home Affairs to form Village Defence Committees across the territory is another addition to a slew of decisions that contradict Indian Government’s much touted normalcy claims”. “Clearly Kashmir is far from any semblance of normalcy,” she said, adding, “It will also create a wedge between communities.”
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, also voiced his grave concern over the move saying that the decision to revive VDCs under a new name was part of the BJP Government’s divisive agenda aimed at pitting one community against the other. He said that the decision was bound to drive a wedge between the communities as the VDC members have been found grossly involved in the rights abuses, victimization, and initiating communal violence, especially in the Hindu-dominated areas of Jammu.
Indian forces operating in Kashmir have been working closely with these VDCs. Rather than disbanding these criminal gangs the Modi Government is now hell-bent on providing them with more weaponry, training, and other incentives.
The decision is being taken at a time when Hindu nationalist leaders openly call for a Muslim genocide in Kashmir, after watching the Bollywood’s highly controversial propaganda laden film, The Kashmir Files, which portrays Kashmiris as terrorists. The film, being screened for free in many Indian cities, fosters Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred. The RSS and BJP is promoting the film with a view to advance their ultra-nationalist agenda which posits Islam and Muslims to be a threat to the country’s Hindu majority.
Amidst mounting majoritarianism and political polarization in India, the so-called Kashmir Files is an incendiary recipe to legitimise the persecution of innocent Kashmiri Muslims at the hands of the Indian occupation troops.
Government of India’s Constant Resort to Mercenaries
The Government of India’s constant deployment of gangs of armed mercenaries as a quick fix to control Kashmiris, indicates its utter disregard for the international law that strongly prohibits the formation of armed bands of irregulars. No law provides legal authority to a State for organizing and arming people without any proper mechanism of accountability, especially when there is little or no recourse to justice for victims.
International law prohibits the use of mercenaries in armed conflict and certain peaceful situations. On the other hand, the Geneva Conventions declare that mercenaries are not recognized as legitimate combatants and do not have to be granted the same legal protections as captured service personnel of a regular army. The United Nations also considers use of mercenaries as illegal under international law.
Since the government of India has escalated its programme of recruitment, training and arming of the VDGs as part of its policy to suppress the Kashmiris’ legitimate political struggle, it is imperative that the international community should take serious notice and influence upon the government of Indian to disband these irregular armed groups, and hold accountable individuals implicated in criminal offenses. The Indian Government should be asked to fulfill its obligations under the law and ensure that all allegations of abuses by VDC members including illegal detention of civilians, torture, rape, and extortion, are thoroughly investigated.
The writer is chairman of Kashmir Institute of International Relations and can be reached At saleeemwani@hotmail.com chairman@kiir.org.pk