# VDG member kills colleague, injures another in Udhampur brawl

2026-08-14T22:37:45+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member shot dead a colleague and critically injured another in Udhampur district on Friday after an altercation in Damnote area, near Panchari. Surjeet Singh allegedly opened fire on fellow VDGs Baldev Singh and Ramesh Singh around 10 am. The injured was taken to Government Medical College and Hospital in Udhampur. Initial probe suggests personal enmity, officials said. The three outlets differ on whether the accused was arrested: Times of India reports Surjeet was arrested soon after, while The Hindu says he was on the run and Greater Kashmir says efforts to arrest were ongoing. The Hindu notes this is the second such VDG-related killing in Jammu in two years; a woman was killed by a VDG in Kishtwar in 2025. VDGs are armed civilian volunteers revived after the 2023 Dangri attack.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/village-defence-guard-kills-another-in-udhampur-1-critical/articleshow/133250222.cms>
- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/jammu-and-kashmir/one-killed-another-injured-as-vdg-member-opens-fire-in-jks-udhampur/article71346751.ece>
- greaterkashmir.com <https://www.greaterkashmir.com/jammu/one-vdg-member-killed-another-injured-in-firing-incident-in-jks-udhampur-12260202>

Tags: Jammu and Kashmir, Surjeet Singh, Udhampur, Village Defence Guards
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