J&K MLA says he wanted to be a militant after 'torture' by army officer, his senior restored faith in system

The MLA claimed that the incident took place during a crackdown when he was a teenager.

National Conference MLA Qaiser Jamshaid Lone on Friday said he wanted to become a militant after he was "tortured and humiliated" by an army officer, PTI reported.

Natinoal Conference MLA Qaiser Jamshaid Lone. (X)

Lone claimed that the incident took place during a crackdown when he was a teenager, but added that actions of a senior army officers restored his faith in the system.

"There was a crackdown in my area when I was a youngster. I must have been a student of the 10th standard. There were 32 youths, including me, who were singled out for questioning," he said while participating in the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor's address in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, according to PTI.

Lone said that the army officer was enquiring about a youth who had joined terrorist ranks.

"I said yes I know him because he lived in our area. 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," the ruling party MLA said.

He added that later a senior officer came to the spot and spoke to him.

"He asked me 'what do you want 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," the NC leader said.

Following this, the senior officer rebuked his junior publicly, which reinstated Lone's “faith in the system”, reported PTI.

The J&K MLA also added that later he learnt that about 27 youths from that group of 32 persons joined the militancy.

(Inputs from PTI)