Former DGP of J&K Police Mr. Shesh Paul Vaid has said that weapons should be given to the minority Hindus and vulnerable sections among the Muslim community in the Kashmir Valley and arms training should be given to them so that they can protect themselves from terror attacks.
Vaid has favoured the arming of the minority community and the vulnerable sections of the majority — the Kashmiri Muslims.
He said, “There is no harm in giving arms training and providing weapons to the minority Hindu community as well as to the vulnerable section of the Muslims in the Kashmir valley.”
He added, “Village Defence Committees (VDCs) can be constituted in the Valley. However, this formula requires detailed planning. Forming VDCs in the Kashmir Valley is difficult, but not impossible.”
Vaid’s comments came amidst outrage against the assassination of Kashmiri Pandit Sarpanch Ajay Pandita Bharti in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Following this, Kashmiri Pandits demanded justice for the victim and also demanded that the government must arm the Hindus in the valley as they are soft targets for the terrorists.
Tension rose between India and Pakistan just after the abrogation of article 370. Pakistan has been trying to disrupt the peace in Jammu and Kashmir through the proxy war for decades.
“After the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley, the terrorists then started targeting the minority Hindus in the Chenab valley region of Jammu division. Many massacres of minority Hindus were carried out by the terrorists in the Chenab valley. But soon VDCs were constituted and people were given arms training. Muslims were also made part of the VDCs as they also faced terror attacks. This formula proved to be very successful and the mass exodus of Hindus was prevented,” former DGP SP Vaid told India Today TV.
