Srinagar: Panic gripped a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri this evening after a vigilante group member opened fire.
The Village Defence Committee (VDC) member may have fired in panic and security forces rushed to Muradpur village after the firing incident, official sources say.
The vigilante groups have been revamped and equipped with guns after recent terrorist attacks in Rajouri in which seven people were killed.
Over 5,000 members of the VDCs have been given rifles and more are queuing up for arms in Rajouri district. There are around 28,000 VDCs in the Jammu region.
Sources say the firing by the VDC member at Muradpur appears to be an incident of security paranoia. They said the VDC gunman opened fire after a woman in his home observed some suspicious movement this evening.
Since the weapons have been issued to villagers without any regulations and control mechanism, mishandling and misuse of guns remain a serious concern.
There are more than 200 FIRs registered against VDC members in various districts. These include cases of murder, rape, rioting and drugs.
