Guns in Their Hands, Fearless in Their Hearts: Jammu Women Lead the Fight Against Terror.

Anita and Sonali Stand Guard: How Local Women Are Redefining Counter-Terrorism in Jammu.

In the rugged hinterlands of the Jammu region, Anita and Sonali have emerged as powerful symbols of grassroots resistance, reflecting a broader transformation underway as local communities take a frontline role in countering cross-border terrorism. 

As members of the Village Defence Guards (VDGs), these women represent a growing force of trained civilian volunteers being actively supported by the Indian Army and the Special Operations Group (SOG), particularly in vulnerable districts such as Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri, and Poonch, where dense forests and mountainous terrain are frequently exploited by infiltrating terrorists. T

hrough intensive training camps, volunteers are being upgraded from outdated .303 rifles to modern Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs) and drilled in minor tactical operations including bunker construction, repelling surprise attacks, night patrolling, and area domination alongside regular forces. Crucially, their role as local residents gives them unmatched Human Intelligence (HUMINT) capabilities, enabling security forces to track suspicious movements and deny terrorists shelter in villages where outsiders stand out.

The renewed activation of VDGs comes amid a spike in terror incidents over the past year, with security agencies estimating the presence of 30–35 Pakistani terrorists in the higher reaches of Jammu. By empowering locals, response times to threats are drastically reduced, community confidence is strengthened, and the fear tactics used by terrorists to coerce villagers are blunted.

The participation of women like Anita and Sonali adds a critical dimension, allowing deeper intelligence penetration in conservative rural societies and reinforcing the message that security is no longer the sole responsibility of uniformed forces but a shared resolve of the community.

As winter’s Chillai Kalan sets in, the VDGs have become a strategic pillar in ensuring that terrorist groups find no refuge in lower-altitude villages, marking a decisive shift toward people-centric counterterrorism in the region.