“Is dragging a person for nearly 28 km an act of bravery,” asked embroidery artisan Farooq Ahmed Dar after hearing that the Major, on whose direction he was tied to a jeep as a “human shield” against pelting of stones in Kashmir, had been awarded a commendation certificate by the Army Chief for “his sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations.”
Dar said he was yet to be called by the police or the Army — which has instituted a Court of Inquiry into the incident of April 9 — for his side of the story.
“It is a complete eyewash,” he said about the inquiry. “They were never serious. I am a small person and why should anyone care?” he said.
Dar said he was picked up by Major Leetul Gogoi when he was on his way back home after casting his vote in the Srinagar bypoll, defying calls from militant groups to boycott the election. He was tied to a jeep’s bonnet as a shield against the stone pelters who had allegedly surrounded a group of armed personnel.
A video of Dar tied to the bonnet of the jeep went viral, triggering a public outcry. Some former Army officials also said the move went against the “ethos” of the Indian Army.
The outrage prompted the Army to institute a probe into the incident. The Jammu and Kashmir police also registered a case.
“It has been over a month since then and I am yet to hear from the local police. Even my statement has not been registered,” Dar told PTI from his home in Chill in Budgam district.
The newly appointed Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range), Munir Khan, had said earlier in Sopore that the police would carry out an investigation into the matter and that the FIR was not quashed, as many feared.
“An FIR means the beginning of an investigation. So once an FIR is lodged, the investigation begins. Whatever comes out in the investigation is a separate matter, but the investigation will take place and it will be seen what is right and what is wrong,” Mr. Khan said.
The State police registered a case of abduction with an intent to cause grievous hurt, wrongful confinement and criminal intimidation.
“Information was received by the Beerwah Police station through reliable sources on April 9, 2017, that on the polling day of Parliament elections a news item was being telecast that a person identified as Farooq Ahmed Dar had been illegally confined by army personnel,” the FIR said.
He was tied with a rope to an Army vehicle at Ghondipora and turned into a human shield. “On this information, the case has been registered and investigation taken up,” the FIR filed in Urdu said.
Dar regretting having stepped out of his home to vote. “I voted and was apparently penalised for this,” he said, adding that his life had changed after this incident. “People keep looking at me,” the 27-year-old said.
He received a call after April 13 when the police registered a case. “I was told that my statement had to be recorded but that has not happened so far. Even if the Army is conducting its own inquiry, my statement is needed for I am the victim,” he said.
Dar believed the State and Central governments were trying “bury the truth” in the files.
