Kashmiri youth shuns violence, returns home

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir)[India]Mar 2(ANI): A youth from Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, who had earlier joined militancy, has shun the path of violence and returned home.

"He had joined a militant group in the Valley after running away from home, but then decided to leave the path of violence after an emotional appeal from his mother" said SP Vaid, Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir.

This case joins the growing list of young men, who decided to give up militancy and reunite with their families.

In January this year, another young militant had surrendered to the police and later returned to his family. In November, a 20-year old footballer from the Anantnag district had also surrendered before the police, days after joining the terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba.

To encourage more such youths to join the mainstream, the state government is formulating a new surrender policy to "get positive results in the near future."

Under the existing programme, which came into effect in 2004 and amended in 2010, more than 600 militants had surrendered between 2004 and 2015. Nearly Rs. 10 crore had been spent on them during the same period, according to local media reports.

Between 2004 and 2008, over 550 militants surrendered. This figure, however, dropped drastically to 57 between 2009 and 2014.(ANI)