Authorities have launched a search operation in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kishtwar district after two civilian members of the anti-terror Village Defence Guards (VDGs) went missing while grazing livestock at Kuntwara. The disappearance came to light after photographs purportedly showing their bodies were circulated on social media, with a Pakistan-based militant group claiming responsibility for their deaths.
The VDGs, formerly known as Village Defence Committees, are part of a local militia system established in the mid-1990s in J&K’s Chenab Valley to defend rural communities against insurgent attacks. Made up of civilians and police officers, VDG members are trained by the Indian Army in weaponry and intelligence gathering. The VDG network currently has 4,125 members.
The militant group Kashmir Tigers, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad, has claimed that they killed the two VDG members — Kuldeep Kumar and Nazeer Ahmed — on Thursday. The group circulated graphic images of the men’s bodies along with a threatening letter warning people against joining the VDGs. The letter stated that the victims were “chased and caught in the dense forests of Kishtwar” and executed after allegedly confessing to crimes. It further declared that the Kashmir Tigers have not targeted civilians and that those joining VDGs risk meeting the same fate.
J&K Police confirmed that the bodies in the photos matched the descriptions provided by the families of the two missing men. A joint search operation by the police and the army is ongoing in the region, though authorities have not yet recovered the bodies. Initial reports suggest that both men were abducted, blindfolded, and then executed by the militants.
An intelligence report, which Sources has reviewed, confirmed the killings, saying, “Two Village Defence Guards were killed by terrorists in the Kuntwara area of Kishtwar.”
The killings have sparked outrage from political leaders. Farooq Abdullah, leader of the National Conference (NC), condemned the brutal act, calling it an obstacle to peace in the region. His party expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. Omar Abdullah, former Chief Minister and NC leader, also condemned the violence, offering his support to the families in this tragic time.
Congress, a part of the ruling coalition in the region, called the incident “intolerable” and pointed to the deteriorating security situation in J&K. The party demanded firm action against those responsible for the killings.
Locally, the Sanatan Dharam Sabha Kishtwar, a religious organization, has called for a bandh (strike) in Kishtwar district on Friday to protest the violence.
This incident is part of a growing wave of attacks in the region since the swearing-in of the first elected government in J&K following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. In the past month, multiple attacks have taken place, including the ambush of an army convoy in Baramulla on October 24, which resulted in the deaths of two soldiers and two civilian porters. Earlier in October, seven people were killed in a terrorist attack on a construction site in Ganderbal, and a migrant worker was shot dead in Shopian.
