Officer accused of using stone-pelter as shield awarded
Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat awarded Major Nitin Gogoi with a commendation card.
The Indian Army officer who allegedly used a stone-pelter as a human shield in Jammu and Kashmir, was awarded by the military for his “sustained efforts” on counter-insurgency, ANI reported. Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat awarded Major Nitin Gogoi with a commendation card for counter-insurgency operations.
The Army had been criticised over the “human shield” incident, which occurred on April 9.
On May 15, the Army had denied reports that Major Nitin Gogoi had been exonerated in the case. The incident had sparked a public debate on Army excesses after National Conference spokesperson Junaid Mattu highlighted the incident.
On Sunday, veteran Bollywood actor and Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker Paresh Rawal also alluded to the incident, when on Twitter he said eminent writer and activist Arundhati Roy should be tied to an Army jeep instead of stone pelters in Kashmir.
The Army jeep had patrolled the streets of Kashmir with a note pinned on the man, Farooq Dar's, chest allegedly warning people that this “would be the fate of stone pelters”. The video went viral on social media and invited widespread condemnation. On April 13, the Jammu and Kashmir police filed an FIR at the Beerwa police station in Budgam district, where the video was believed to have been shot.
The Army had set up a Court of Inquiry on April 20, days after video of the civilian, Farooq Ahmed Dar, being used as a human shield surfaced.
