Engineering student turned militant surrendered in South Kashmir

Srinagar: An engineering student turned militant surrendered before the forces during an operation in south Kashmir in which one militant was killed on Monday evening, police said.

They said 22-year-old Saqib Akbar Waza, a B.tech student was missing since August 20 and had recently joined Hizbul Mujahideen

Police said an operation was launched Noorpora area of Awantipora and in the initial gunfight a militant was killed.

"The second terrorist managed to take shelter in a nearby house in the cordon area. The trapped terrorist was given an opportunity to surrender by means of repeated announcements and after very strenuous efforts of joint security forces the trapped terrorist laid his arms in the house and thereby surrendered before the security forces during the live encounter," a police spokesman said.

He said the parents of the surrendered militant were called to the encounter site to meet their son.

Meanwhile, General officer Commanding of strategic Srinagar-based 15 Corps Lieutenant General B S Raju Tuesday said that posing for a photograph with a gun and releasing a video won't make any youth a militant and they can still come back and join their families.

"I have a message for the newly recruited militants that posing for a photograph holding a gun in hands and releasing a video won't make you a militant. You can still come back and join your families. There has been progress in this direction recently and we are hopeful of more on this front," GoC Raju told a select group of reporters in Srinagar on the occasion of Infantry Day.