Following the killing of seven Hindus back in January amid two attacks in Dhangri village in India’s Kashmir region, the country’s authorities have brought back a government-funded militia — providing thousands of villagers, including some teenagers, arms and training.
Officially known as the “Village Defense Group,” the militia was first founded in the 1990s to provide a first line of defense against anti- Indian fighters in isolated Himalayan villages where the government had difficulty sending aid rapidly.