J-K: Sanatan Dharm Sabha calls for a 'shutdown', protests village defence guards' killing

Kishtwar: In the wake of the killing of two village defence guards in the Kishtwar of Jammu and Kashmir, Sanatan Dharm Sabha on Friday called for a shutdown in the district.
Speaking to ANI, Arvind Parihar, President of the Sanatan Dharam Sabha, Kishtwar said that they are protesting against the killing of the defence guards and have appealed to the central government to take strict actions to crush the militancy in the region.
"Sanatan Dharm Sabha has called for a complete shutdown to protest against the killing of our village DGs. We appeal to the Home Minister to take strict action to crush the militancy which is on the rise again and provide high technological weapons to security forces. The district administration has been given regular inputs but still no timely action was taken and two of our VDGs were killed..." he said.
Tensions persisted in Jammu and Kashmir following the killing of two Village Defence Guards (VDG) in Kishtwar, with the people in the region protesting and demanding that the government take strict action to crush the militancy in the state.
Moreover, the VDGs in Nowshera area of Rajouri district are also on high alert after the killing.
One of the VDGs explained his role for protecting the region, saying, "This weapon has been given to me and others to protect the country, and whenever there is a need for us, we will reach there, police will also reach and army will also reach the place needed. The police call us, and other security forces call us too."
VDGs serve as a frontline defence against potential militant threats. Operating around the clock, these civilian-led teams work closely with the Indian Army, police, and paramilitary forces, forming a well-coordinated security network essential for the region's stability.
"Everyone has the josh, and we will give our lives for the nation, but one thing which is a little sad is that nowadays in all the places there is something or the other which is coming up," the VDG added.
The VDG said that they do the duty daily in groups, looking across the region for any threat, patrolling without fear.
On Thursday, terrorists killed two Village Defence Group (VDG) members in Kishtwar. The deceased were identified as Nazir Ahmed and Kuldeep Kumar, both residents of Kuntwara area. They had gone to graze their cattle in the forest.