Ahead of Amarnath Yatra, BSF arms VDGs with SLRs

They have been trained on how to take position and engage terrorists till the time security forces arrive

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU: Post-Operation Sindoor and with the Amarnath Yatra coming up from July 3, the BSF has begun training village defence guards (VDGs) in operating semi-automatic self-loading rifles (SLRs) in the border districts of Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to check infiltration and take on terrorists armed with sophisticated weapons.

The BSF, which began training VDGs in a phased manner along the 200-km border with Pakistan a week ago, has already equipped VDGs in Kathua and Samba districts with skills to operate and maintain SLRs. At present, the training is underway in Ranbir Singh (RS) Pura sector of Jammu and Arnia in Akhnoor. VDGs in Rajouri and Poonch districts will be undergoing in the next phase.