A Tale Of Disillusionment? Kashmiri Youth Surrenders A Week After Joining Lashkar-e-Taiba

College student and footballer Majid Arshid, who had joined the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) a week ago, has surrendered before security forces, officials said today.

Arshid walked into a security camp in south Kashmir last night and surrendered with his arms and ammunition, the officials said.

He was whisked away to an undisclosed destination early this morning.

The college student, a goalkeeper for his local team in Anantnag in south Kashmir, is believed to have turned to militancy after a close friend was killed in an encounter.

Police was constantly in touch with his friends and family members, urging them to put pressure on Arshid to return home.

Although the surrender follows appeals by his parents and Jammu and Kashmir Police to return home, it is not certain what led to his return. His parents had gone on television and social media to ask him to surrender.

A number of militants in the Kashmir valley and other parts of the world have surrendered citing disillusionment as a cause.

Danish Ahmed, a militant who was seen at the funeral of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Bhat, surrendered in June 2017 saying he grew disillusioned with the militancy after spending a few days with the terrorists.

According to India Today, Ahmed told interrogators that he was not the only one to get disillusioned with the militancy so quickly. Most local boys, he told security forces, become disenchanted with the 'gun' after a few days.

Ahmed had revealed that money looted by local militants from banks in the valley is used to buy new gadgets, fancy clothes and expensive gifts for their girlfriends.