Human Shield Issue: Army Major Says He Saved Lives 

23 May, 2017 20:39 IST|Sakshi
The army Major insisted that the human shield was used to save polling staff and security personnel from over 1200 stone-pelters at a polling booth in Utligam village of Budgam district on April 9.

Srinagar: Major Leetul Gogoi, who tied a stone-pelter to his car, appeared before the media on Tuesday to say that his action was intended to save the lives of many people.

Breaking his silence, Gogoi said about 1200 stone-pelters had surrounded a small group of security personnel at a polling booth in Utligam village of Budgam district on April 9 and if he had ordered firing, there could have been at least 10-12 casualties. Gogoi said he and five other army personnel had gone to the polling booth after a "distress call" on April 9 from a small group of ITBP personnel and few members of the polling staff.

The mob, which included women and children, was threatening to set the polling booth ablaze, he said. Amidst the mob, he said he saw a man who appeared to be the "ring leader" as he was "instigating" the stone-pelters.

Major Leetul Gogoi

He said the idea of tying the man, who was identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, to the jeep had struck him suddenly as a means to evacuate the polling staff and the paramilitary personnel as also to avoid casualities. He said after Dar was tied to the jeep, the stone-pelting stopped for some time, providing a window for them to leave that area safely. "I have done this only to save locals. Had I fired, there would have been lot of casualties," Gogoi told reporters at his Beerwah camp in Budgam district.

Talking about Dar, Gogoi said, "He tried to flee on a bike but somehow, despite intense stone-pelting, we caught hold of him." "Once we got inside, we rescued four civil polling staff, seven ITBP personnel and one J&K Police constable," he said. The officer said while they were leaving the polling station, their mine-protected vehicle was stuck in the mud. "The mob again resorted to stone-pelting. At that time, an announcement was made from among the mob and it grew violent. Someone even threw a petrol bomb at us. Luckily, it did not explode.," he said.

Gogoi said he ordered his men to take out the vehicle from the mud. "In the meantime, again I announced through my megaphone that give us a safe passage so that we can move out from the area but the crowd was not listening to us. "At that moment, suddenly the idea of tying him (Dar) to the vehicle came to my mind. "As soon as I ordered my boys to tie him up on the vehicle, the stone-pelting stopped for a while and that was a fraction of the moment where I got a window to come out safely from that place," he added.

Gogoi's appearance before the media came a day after he was awarded Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Card for his sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations.

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