Army officer Major Gogoi, who tied youth to jeep as human shield, awarded for counter-insurgency ops

“Major Gogoi has been awarded Chief of Army Staff’s Commendation Card for sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations,” Army spokesperson Aman Anand said. The officer was awarded during General Rawat’s recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

Here’s the video as well. A warning can be heard saying stone pelters will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry & follow up NOW!! pic.twitter.com/qj1rnCVazn

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) April 14, 2017

Last month, a video showing the man tied to the army vehicle had gone viral, triggering a public outcry. It prompted the Army to launch a probe into the incident, which happened during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election on April 9.

Farooq Ahmed Dar, his mother at their home in Chil, Budgam. (Express Photo: Shuaib Masoodi)

Reflecting on the incident, 26-year-old Farooq Ahmed Dar, the man who was tied to the jeep bonnet, had insisted that he was not a stone-pelter. “I am not a stone-pelter. Never in my life have I thrown stones. I work as an embroiderer of shawls, and I know some carpentry. This is what I do,” he had told The Indian Express.

Read: Major Gogoi deserves a distinguished services medal for using human shield against stone-pelters in Kashmir

Dar had alleged he was paraded for nearly four hours from 11 am on April 9. He also said he will not file a complaint. “Gareeb log hain, kya karengey complain (We are poor people, what will we complain). I live alone with my asthmatic mother who is 75-years-old. I am scared. Anything can happen to me. I am not a stone-pelter,” he had said.

Dar also said he was on route to Gampora, 17 km from his home, to attend the fourth-day rituals of a relative who had died, on the day of the Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll.

Reacting to the incident, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had sought a report from police. According to an official release, the Chief Minister called the act as unacceptable and called on police to submit a detailed report so that necessary action could be initiated.