Pro-Government Militias
Village Defence Force Punjab (India)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 217 |
| Country: | India |
| Date formed: | Feb. 25, 1984 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The village defence force is first mentioned in February 1984 when the Punjab state government announced that it would set up such a group as a response to attacks by terrorists. Apparently the [a former] group existed before the coded date, as one source refers to the revival of the village defence force, but there is no further information on this. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | The group’s last activity is reported in 1993 and there is no information about the group afterwards. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | no information |
| Former Rebel Group? | no |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | semi-official (type 2) |
| Created by the Government?: | yes | Main Creating Government Institution: | subnational government |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); sub-national government |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | no information |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | village/rural |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Punjab |
| Force Strength: | [unknown, unknown] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; self-defense and security; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was formed to combat religious extremist violence and Sikh separatism in Punjab and to provide security more generally. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group defended civilians against violent attacks by separatists. One politician accused the PGM of attacking Sikh party members. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | yes |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The group was armed with guns by the state government. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | The group was responsible to the state government in Punjab, where it operated. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.