A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member was killed early on Sunday in a gunfight with suspected militants in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district.

The second killing in Jammu in eight days has put the spotlight back on the return of militancy and how it remains a challenge for security forces despite claims of normality.

Police said Mohammad Shareef, 48, a resident of Lower Ponar in Udhampur’s Basantgarh, was injured during a face-off with militants and later succumbed to his injuries.

The VDG member was accompanying a police party looking for militants in the area. The police said a massive search operation was underway to flush out militants, believed to have recently infiltrated from Pakistan.

The Jammu province has seen a surge in militancy in recent years, prompting authorities to strengthen the VDG. Their numbers stood at a staggering 30,000 but thousands more were engaged after a spate of militant attacks in the last two years.

The police said its patrolling party confronted the militants around 7.45am after they received a tip-off on their presence in the area.

“Today (Sunday) morning, a party of police picket in Sang, along with VDG members, proceeded towards Chochru Gala heights where a face-off ensued with a group of hiding terrorists,” a police spokesperson said.

There was an exchange of fire that lasted for 30 minutes. The militants fled deep into the woods after inflicting the casualty.