No clean chit to Major in human shield case

Probe not over, says army

The army on Monday termed “speculative” the media reports which stated that the Court of Inquiry (CoI) had given a clean chit to the officer, who tied a Kashmiri youth to a jeep as “human shield” against stone pelters.

“The CoI concerned with the incident is still incomplete. Reports in some sections of the media that the army Major was given a clean chit are speculative,” defence spokesman Rajesh Kalia said. However, sources maintained that no action has been recommended against the Major from the 53-Rashtriya Rifles battalion and he would be soon given a clean chit.

“No disciplinary action has been recommended against the officer... He has been congratulated for his acumen and presence of mind to avoid civilian casualties,” a source said.

Report to be out soon
The CoI report will be made public in the coming days, according to the sources. Soon after the media reports were out, the National Conference (NC) said, “The verdict of the military investigation goes against not only the military code and the very premise of the Geneva Convention but also violates the fundamental rights provided by the Constitution of India to all its citizens.”

In a statement, NC spokesperson Junaid Mattu said it was tragic that the army, rather than initiating swift and strict disciplinary action against the major, has ended up commending him and condoning his act.

The army had ordered a CoI on April 20 against the major who tied Farooq Ahmad Dar of Chill Bras area of Budgam district to its jeep to “safeguard” paramilitary forces and polling staff from stone pelters. The CoI had been given a month to complete the probe.

On April 17, the police had registered an FIR against unnamed army personnel. According to the police investigation, the army used Dar as a human shield and kept him under wrongful confinement. A video of the incident was uploaded by former chief minister Omar Abdullah on Twitter, generating massive outrage and condemnation from all quarters, including some senior army officers.