Pro-Government Militias
Village Defence Committee Himachal (India)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 219 |
| Country: | India |
| Date formed: | Aug. 24, 1998 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | year |
| Details of Formation: | The Village Defence Committee Himachal is first mentioned in August 1998. Apparently, the [a former] group existed before the coded date, as one source refers to revival of the village defence committee but there is no further information available. |
| 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? | 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: | yes |
| 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: | Himachal Pradesh |
| Force Strength: | [740, 1500] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; 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 used as local support to the security forces in combating terrorists and to organise the population for self-defence against the terrorist threat. It took part in rescue missions and provided border security. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | local presence |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The PGM was supposed to protect civilians from terrorism, however, sources do not indicate how successful it was in doing so. |
| 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? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: | It is reported that training was provided by the government, but that it was inadequate. In addition, members were armed by the government and given ammunition. |
Organisation
| Organisation: | According to sources, there were roughly 150 individual groups, which each having eight to ten members. The group assisted the police in operations regarding border security. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.