Farooq Dar, the Kashmiri man who was tied to an army jeep as a human shield by Major Leetul Gogoi, has approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), complaining that the reward to Major Gogo by the army is illegal.
Dar has sought an explanation as to why Major Gogoi was awarded the Army's chief recommendation for 'sustained efforts' in counter-insurgency operations, while still being under probe for the incident, says a report by the Firstpost.
Gogoi was accused of tying up of a civilian to the army jeep to ward off stone pelters in the valley during the violence-hit Srinagar by-polls. According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, he committed a war crime. The Indian army officer continues to be under probe for the incident he is now honoured for.
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Amnesty International too, has condemned the decision to award Major Gogoi.
Amnesty India's executive director Aakar Patel said rewarding an officer who was facing a probe for human rights violation suggests that the army was willing to "valorise an act of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment amounting to torture."
Major Gogoi, on the other hand, had defended his stance, saying that by tying Dar to the army jeep, he saved many lives.
"I saw a short person standing 30 meters from my vehicle (among the stone pelters. I immediately told my boys to catch a hold of him. he was instigating the crowd and might have been the ringleader. When he saw us he started running towards the crowd and got on his bike. Somehow we caught him," he recalled.
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During investigation however, Dar said he was out to cast his vote and later visit his sister's house, where a bereavement had taken place, to offer condolences and was not involved in the scenario,
Dar, who is an artisan by profession reiterated that he is not a stone-pelter and sought action against three TV news channels – India Today, Times Now and Republic TV for addressing him as such, the report adds.
