Indian army-trained VDG member injured by gunshot in Udhampur
Jammu: A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member، trained by Indian army، was injured after his rifle went off in the Majalta area of Udhampur district in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
The VDG member, identified as Parshotam Lal, a resident of Chore Panjian in Majalta, sustained a gunshot wound to his abdomen.
He was immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment. His condition was not immediately known.
Meanwhile, the authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The incident comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over the controversial role of VDGs, which have been armed and deployed by Indian authorities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The Village Defence Guards (VDGs)—originally formed in 1995 as Village Defence Committees—are militias armed and trained by the Indian army in the Jammu region of occupied territory.
Hundreds of criminal cases include murder, rape, extortion, and abductionave been registered against VDG members over the years.
Local communities, political leaders, and international observers have raised major concerns regarding human rights abuses, lack of institutional accountability, and heightened communal friction.
Analysts writing for platforms like Al Jazeera and The New York Times point out that the vast majority of those armed are from the Hindu community.
Local Muslim leaders argue that selectively arming one group creates an atmosphere of fear and intimidation for the majority Muslim population in the Jammu region mostly Line of Control areas.
