Pro-Government Militias
Village Defence Committee Kashmir (India)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 218 |
| Country: | India |
| Date formed: | Jan. 1, 1995 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | National government encourages 'local resistance' - see Ministry of Home Affairs Annual Reports. Apparently, the government started to set up Village Defence Committees in Kashmir in 1995. Over the years, they recruited more people in order to protect villages from militants and to support the regular forces. |
| Date dissolved: | Unknown |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | Still active. |
| Termination Type(s): | not terminated |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | no |
| Former Armed Group? | no |
| 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: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; village/rural; ex soldiers |
| Primary Membership: | local |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | Jammu and Kashmir |
| Force Strength: | [18000, 28000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect state, national or religious institutions; protect national borders and integrity; self-defense and security |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Hindi (India) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | Five all women VDCs existed, with up to 79 members, who were trained by the Indian Army. According to reports, there were 3700 VDCs in 2006. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group was formed to protect the population from internal threats originating from insurgents, supporting the army and working with the police, and to contain terrorism. To achieve this, the PGM encouraged the population to practice self-defense. It was also used to patrol the border. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group was supposed to contribute to the protection of civilians, however sources do not indicate how effectively it achieved this. One source reports that the population was intimidated by the group. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | unknown |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | no information |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | sometimes |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | The groups were armed by the respective state government with automatic and semi-automatic weapons and guns. It is reported that some groups were trained by the army, while others were trained by the police. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Sources indicate that the group is commanded by the state government and subordinated to the police. It has some connection to the Special Police Officers (SPOs), but the relationship is not clear. According to one news source the committees consisted of one security officer, five former army members and five locals. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.