By tying stone-pelter to jeep I saved many lives: Major Leetul Gogoi

The Indian Army has on Monday honored Major Gogoi with the Army Chief's Commendation Card award.

NEW DELHI: Major Leetul Gogoi, who had tied a man to a jeep in Kashmir purportedly as a shield against stone pelters, on Tuesday defended his act by saying that he took the step "to save the local people." "We went to a polling booth to check the security situation, and then some people started pelting stones at us. Then, the stone-pelters hurled petrol bombs at us. I took that step just to save local people," Major Gogoi said "Man tied to the jeep had led stone pelters. As soon as we tied the man to the jeep, pelting of stones stopped. If I had opened fire, many lives would have been lost. My focus was to protect the polling staff and people," he said. "With this idea of tying the man to the jeep, I managed to save several lives," he added. The Indian Army has on Monday honored Major Gogoi with the Army Chief's Commendation Card award. "Major Gogoi has been awarded the Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Card for his sustained efforts in counter- insurgency operations," Army had said. A video of a youth tied to the front of a moving army jeep as a shield against stone pelters went viral last month on social media evoking anger and shock in Kashmir. The clip, which triggered a public outcry in the restive Kashmir valley, prompted the civil and army authorities to launch separate investigations. The video showed the thickset man sporting a beard strapped to the bonnet while seated on the stepney affixed to the bumper of the jeep. The 26-year-old man was identified as Farooq Ahmed Dar, a tailor who does shawl artistry. He had denied the charges of him being a stone-pelter. In the clip, an army soldier was heard saying, "Those who throw stones will meet the same fate." The video showed the army jeep moving ahead of an army patrol, while some villagers could be overheard that the youth had been picked up by the army. Giving reference of the same incident, BJP MP and actor Paresh Rawal on Monday ignited a storm on Twitter with his post against activist Arundhati Roy. Rawal in his tweet said Arundhati Roy must be tied to the army jeep instead of a stone pelter. The post was criticized heavily and shunned by netizens who did not expect a parliamentarian to launch such an offensive.