Award to Gogoi is murder of justice: Man used as shield

SRINAGAR: Used as a

human shield

against stone-pelting mobs in Budgam district in Kashmir,

Farooq Ahmad Dar

, speaking to TOI on Tuesday, described the Army’s award to the officer who tied him to a jeep’s fender as “murder of justice”.

Dar said he heard about the award to Major

Nitin Leetul Gogoi

from his neighbours in the village and said, “This is not justice. They just murdered justice by supporting abuse and oppression.

“My question to the Army and the Major who has been awarded is: Would you have tied your own son to the bonnet of the Army jeep to rescue the soldiers or to prevent stone-pelting?

“They are the Army and they should have fought their battle against the stone-pelters on their own instead of making me a shield. How can the Army abuse common people for their war?”

A shawl embroidery artisan, Dar said he’s still traumatised by the incident and has been unable to do any work. He said he was hospitalized for a few days and later asked to seek counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Between my mother and I, we used to earn Rs 3,000 a month. Now I am in debt because I haven’t been able to earn as much,” he said.

Police filed an FIR against the Army on April 15, charging them with kidnapping and endangering Dar’s life. The Army, too, initiated an internal investigation, the report of which is still awaited.

Reacting to the award, PDP spokesman Nizamuddin Bhatt said, “If he has been awarded for that act, then it is not proper.”

He added that the Major should not have been awarded for his unwarranted act of parading a youth through several villages tied over a jeep to secure the lives of civilians. On Monday, Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, awarded Major Gogoi COAS Commendation Card for “his sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations”.

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