Author: Luv Puri
Publication: The Hindu
Date: September 4, 2003
URL: http://www.hindu.com/2003/09/04/stories/2003090406480100.htm
Village Defence Guards are putting
up a brave fight along with the security forces in the on-going gunbattle
in Ghati village of Kathua district.
Security officials said that on
Tuesday night, the support rendered by the 30 VDG men, with their outdated
.303 rifles, proved crucial in cordoning off the militants from all sides.
In the encounter, two of them were injured.
Niko Ram a VDG leader, said: "We
know the terrain and we would fight till our last breath".
Meanwhile, it appears that the people
in the villages around the Ghati village such as Jaglote, Ploata, Sumber
Dera, have accepted the militants' challenge. They too are fighting alongside
the security forces.