AJ+'s video: Modi s India Revives Vigilante Hindu Militias in Kashmir

Indian-administered Kashmir is already one of the most militarized regions in the world. Now the Narendra Modi government is putting more weapons into the region by reviving and rearming civilian militias known as Village Defense Committees (VDCs). Some militias are even getting automatic assault weapons. Even though the vast majority of residents in Kashmir are Muslim, these militias are majority Hindu. The Indian government says it’s reviving the militias after seven Hindus were killed in a recent attack in the village of Dhangri. But some residents doubt arming more people will prevent further violence. Muslim residents in Indian-administered Kashmir are fearful because of the militias’ tarnished history. Since the 1990s, there have been at least 221 reports of abuse by VDCs, including sexual assault and murder. And those are just the documented cases: Extrajudicial killings aren’t always properly investigated. Humaira Shah’s father was allegedly killed by VDC members in 2019 after an altercation in a neighboring village. Four years later no one has been charged for his murder. Subscribe for more videos: https://ajplus.co/subscribe Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajplus/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajplus