'Tortured By Army Officer', J&K MLA Said He Wanted To Become Militant, Then Had A Change Of Heart...
Jamshaid Lone, an MLA from the National Conference, recounted an incident in the assembly where he was tortured by an army officer as a youth.
First-time MLA from National Conference, Qaiser Jamshaid Lone on Friday revealed that he wanted to join militancy after being "tortured" by an Army officer and narrated how his faith was restored in the system.
Addressing the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly during the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address, Lone said he wanted to become a militant when he was young after he was "tortured and humiliated" by an army officer during a military crackdown.
The legislator from the Lolab Assembly constituency his faith in the system was restored after a senior officer rebuked the army officer, as per an India Today report.
The incident showed how dialogue can resolve issues, he said.
"There was a crackdown in my area when I was a youngster," Lone recalled. "I must have been a student of the 10th standard. There were 32 youths, including me, who were singled out for questioning," he said during his speech.
Narrating the particular incident, Lone said that during the crackdown, the army officer asked him about a youth who had joined terrorists. Lone responded saying he knew the youth as they lived in the same neighbourhood.
"I was beaten up for that. Then he asked me if the terrorist was present in the crackdown. I replied in the negative and I was beaten up again," said the NC MLA.
A senior officer came to the spot and asked Lone what he wanted to become in life. "I told him I want to be a militant. He asked me the reason and I told him about the torture I had gone through," he added.
After speaking to him, the senior officer rebuked his subordinate publicly, Lone said, adding that it restored "faith in the system."
Of the 32 young men who were questioned, 27 joined militant ranks, Lone said.
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