Why The Army Tied A Stone Pelter In Front Of Its Cavalcade In Kashmir

A video, allegedly showing a Kashmiri youth tied to the front of a moving army jeep, went viral on Friday (14 April) after former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah shared it on Twitter. Although the Indian Army ordered an inquiry soon after, the details of the issue were then unknown.

The details have now emerged, reported by Rahul Singh of the Hindustan Times. According to the daily’s report, he was tied in that manner to discourage stone pelters from harming a convoy of polling officers. The step was taken when the convoy came under attack from a stone-pelting mob. A few soldiers, accompanied by nine men from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and two police jawans, were leading the convoy.

According to NDTV’s report, a Quick Reaction Team of the army was called in prevent escalation of hostilities, but the numerical superiority of the stone-pelting mob made it almost impossible for the convoy to move. “They would have been lynched by 400 people,” the report quoted a source as saying.

"They were sure to be lynched there since the crowd size increased and opening fire would have resulted in a blood bath. To defend themselves, the Company Commander caught hold of a protestor and tied him to his jeep," the channel’s sources added.

The incident occurred in the area that falls under the responsibility of the 53 Rashtriya Rifles. The major leading the convoy, who had volunteered to serve in Kashmir, took the call in order to prevent direct confrontation between the mob and the army, a scenario that would have ended in bloodshed.

The video was reportedly shot at Gundipora in Budgam district, and the man tied to the vehicle has been identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, a resident of Beerwah. Abdullah, who reacted with outrage at the video, is the member of Legislative Assembly from Beerwah.