New Delhi: Amid a bitter row over a viral video showing a civilian from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) being tied up on a military jeep, a police complaint was registered on Monday against the Army’s 53 Rashtriya Rifles unit for using the man as “human shield” against stone pelters.
Sources in J&K Police revealed that the charges being considered against the Army include kidnapping and endangering the man’s life.
“The FIR [First Information Report] has been registered against unidentified army personnel of the 53 Rashtriya Rifles under sections 342 [punishment for wrongful confinement], 149 [every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object], 506 [punishment for criminal intimidation] and 367 [kidnapping or abducting in order to subject person to grievous hurt] of the Penal Code,” the police sources revealed.
The video of the incident, released by former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah, sparked off violent protests in Kashmir valley by pro-freedom activists and political parties.
Identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, the person is a resident of Sitaharaan village of Budgam district in central Kashmir. Dar claimed that he was picked up on April 13, when he was on way to his sister’s house after casting his vote for Srinagar Lok Sabha bypoll.
The central government is likely to issue a statement in support of the security forces.
“The government has decided to back the security personnel who tied up a stone-pelter to the bonnet of a jeep to prevent any kind of attack on the convoy during election duty. The government is of the view that the army officer responsible for ordering his men to tie Dar to the jeep took the decision as a complete last resort. He took the decision after he realised that his unit had to pass a street, crowded by hordes of stone-pelters,” sources in the Defence Ministry informed Gulf News.
CM Mehbooba Mufti had sought a detailed report from the state police.
The Army has also begun an internal investigation into the incident.
“The contents of the video are being verified and investigated,” Defence Ministry spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia told Gulf News.
Also former CM Abdullah on Monday said, “a young man was tied to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep. This is just so shocking. A warning can be heard in the video saying stone pelters will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry and follow up.”
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said the incident was being probed but the challenging situation the Army has to deal with on the ground must be appreciated.
On April nine, violent clashes were reported between the stone pelters and the security forces in Kashmir in which more than 300 people were injured and eight killed.
