Click to play videoJammu: Armymen fighting terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir is a common sight. But local women in the state are also taking up the gun to fight the insurgency now.
Twenty- year-old Satya Devi is a sharp shooter. She had nearly mowed down terrorists who tried to storm her house last year.
Devi is a member of one of the all-women Village Defence Committees that operate in the militancy-infested border districts of Rajouri Reasi and Udhampur in Kashmir.
“I have taken up the gun to fight terrorists. If terrorists attack me I can take care of myself, my family and the village,” says Devi.
Every village defence committee consists of eight to 10 members. They are locals who volunteer to help the army in patrolling dense forests, in guarding houses and vital cross roads.
Some of them have even taken an active part in the fight including lying in ambush to trap the terrorists.
“The army has trained us well. We can protect ourselves bravely today,” says Lajo Devi.
“I used to be afraid of militants. I have no such fears today,” says Chanchalo Devi.
Some 300 such volunteers operate in this area out of which 40 are women. They are all adept in handling weapons. And recently several Muslim Gujjar women have also started enrolling themselves.
So the women might have different faiths but they have a common enemy militancy.
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