Yoginder Kaul, IPS
A volunteer body of Home Guards was constituted under the Jammu & Kashmir Home Guard Act 2006 (1949 AD), the members of which shall discharge such functions in relation to the protection of persons and maintenance of essential services as may be assigned to them in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
During World War II, Home Guards, a Voluntary Citizen Organization for Civil Defence was raised in the United Kingdom. In India, on 6th December, 1946, Home Guards was raised in Bombay to assist the Police in controlling civil disturbances and communal riots. Subsequently, this concept of voluntary citizens force as auxiliary to the police for maintenance of law and order and for meeting emergencies like floods, fires and famines etc. was adopted by several States such as Paranti Raksha Dal, West Bengal Village Block and Civic Guards. In the wake of Chinese aggression in 1962, the Centre advised the State and Union Territories to merge their existing voluntary organizations into one all India force known as Home Guards which would be voluntary both in concept and character.
The Home Guards serve as an auxiliary to the Police and assist in maintenance internal security, assist the community in any kind of emergency, on an air raid, a fire, a flood, an epidemic, organizes and provides essential services, promote communal harmony and give assistance to administration, participate in socio-economic and welfare activities.
The Home Guards personnel who are trained in Rescue and Relief work will be able to meet the demand/manpower for providing services to the affected people during natural calamity keeping in view the need for certain kinds of services also women Home Guards can perform.
The Home Guards Organization is basically a voluntary in character, and this concept has been kept in view throughout this organization set up. They receive training during peace time and place their services at the disposal of the nation during country’s hour of need in peace or war time with nucleus paid staff. The Home Guards are given presently basic training of six weeks in drill with and without arms, weapon training, fire discipline, crowd control, field craft, patrolling, Civil Defence training for fire fighting, rescue, first Aid with refresher and advance courses sbsequently at our Central Training Institutes.
The age group for initial recruitment to the Home Guards should be 18-37 years with eight standard education and with no previous adversary antecedents. Home Guard Volunteer is entitled to certain allowances as honorarium as per rules besides parade/training allowances and are for call-up for duty which requires enhancement in view of prevailing rising cost of living.
For Homeguard volunteer’s appointment needs a solemn declaration and he will truly serve as a Homeguard without favour, communal or political bias and he discharge his/her duties to the best of his skill and knowledge a sper motto “NISHKAM SEVA”.
A Homeguard when called out for training or duty has the same power privileges and protection as an officer of police. No prosecution shall be instituted against a Homeguard in respect of anything done by him in the discharge of his duties as a Homeguard for a period of three years which can be extended subject to maximum of six years.
Under 3-A of the Act, the members of Homeguards when employed directly in aid of the Police force, shall be under their control.
In our State during the year, 1979 these Voluntary Homeguards were placed in graded scale in recognition of their best performance and subsequently the two Homeguard Battalions were converted into Auxiliary Police Battalions, and were located in Srinagar and the other at Jammu. Later Homeguards was reactivited in the year, 1987 by Central/State Government as per the guidelines of MHA (GOI) on voluntary basis sanctioning 43 coys (4300 personnel) of VHG which were raised in 02 phases, 18 coys in 1989 and 25 in 1998 under the present scheme. The massive enrolment of fresh volunteers for Homeguards is underway and 951 volunteers from all districts were enrolled under the scheme during the year after an embargo was lifted for the new enrolment and these companies are spared in all the districts of the State headed by Area Commander.
Similarly Civil Defence scheme is also in vogue under Civil Defence Act 1968. Civil Defence is to be organized as an integral part of the defence of the country. The changing global/political scenario has reduced the possibility of traditional wars, but threats from natural and manmade disasters steadily are on the increase. We have seen large scale devastation in the October, 2005 earthquake which hit areas of Uri and Poonch. The State is experiencing frequent earthquake tremors on regular basis being located in seismic zone IV and V and other disaster related to snow, water , fire, major accidents and incidents of violence also occur in the State. The policy of the Government of India till the declaration of emergency in 1962 was confined to making the State and Union territories conscious of the need of Civil Defence measures and plans for its classified towns. Two major events of significance gave fillip to Civil Defence in our country. The first which really marked the revival of Civil Defence in the country was the Chinese Aggression in November, 1962 and the other was Indo-Pakistan conflict in September, 1965, when for the first time after Independence, the nation was subjected to enemy attacks and thereafter in December, 1971 when Civil Defence Organization acquitted itself commendably.
Upto 1985, all Civil Defence preparedness was restricted against threat of conventional weapons, during, 1985 revision of list of categorized Civil Defence towns, preparedness against nuclear threat to very limited extent was extended.
A high powered committee was constituted in 2006, by Government of India which studied the existing set up and functioning of Civil Defence throughout the country which was hostile act centric with specified Town as a focal point. The Committee suggested focus to shift to make it district centric from being an organization that prepares citizens in time of hostile enemy attacks to being an organization that prepares citizens to face hostile enemy attacks and impacts of emergency situation as a result of terrorism and disasters both natural and manmade. Government of India launched a centrally sponsored scheme for Revamping of Civil Defence set up in the country which is to play a significant role in disaster management and assisting the Police in internal security and law and order situation while retaining their primary role.
Recently, the Government of India has identified 100 multi-hazard prone districts for inclusion in the revamping of Civil Defence set up in the country of which 13 districts of our State Jammu, Udhampur, Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Anantnag, Pulwama, Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla, Kupwara, Leh and Kargil also figure in these districts are in addition to already notified 19 categorized Civil Defence Towns with greater thrust on the disaster management. The creation of SDRF Battalions during this year after conversion of two previous existing auxiliary police battalions at Srinagar/Jammu is a specialized force to manage the natural and manmade disaster which is being reoriented to new responsibility to its build capacity through various specialized training courses both inside and outside State.
Civil Defence includes only measure, not amounting to actual combat, for affording protection to any person, property, place or thing. It aims to save life, minimize damage to property, maintain continuity of production and to keep up the high morale of public in time of emergency. The role of Homeguards and Civil Defence are complimentary to each other.
(The author is IGP Home Guards / Civil Defence & SRDP J&K)
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