Surrendered militants in Arunachal Pradesh unite to seek rehabilitation

Itanagar, February 7: Several youths from Changlang district who took up militancy have surrendered in recent years and took a step ahead forming Surrendered Militants Welfare Association (SMWA) to seek redressal to their grievances. Irrespective of their past affiliations, buried their differences and came together here to form the Surrendered Militants Welfare Association (SMWA).

Several youths of Changlang district who had gone astray in the past and joined different insurgent outfits active in the region surrendered before the security forces on several occasions in recent years.

“The government and the civil societies often appeal to militants to give up arms and join the national mainstream; but the day they come over-ground, they are deprived of facilities and isolated by the society,” SMWA Chairman Khultu Mossang stated in a release.

“We surrendered militants are victimized physically, emotionally and socially,” he said, and lambasted the state government for not initiating any concrete policy for their rehabilitation.

One of the surrendered militants, Mossang, who gave up arms two years ago and conceptualized the SMWA, said: “We are not against any individual, group or organization. The sole aim of forming the SMWA is to find ways for rehabilitation of the confused and frustrated surrendered youths. We wish to guide them in taking the right path and following the mantra of peaceful coexistence.”

The association appealed to the state government to provide the surrendered militants with adequate loans to start small-scale industries, besides housing schemes, special quota in IT institutes, and special quota in police and army recruitment to live life afresh with dignity and honour.