After much controversy around the picture and video of a civilian being tied to a jeep and used as human shield against stone pelters, the top law officer of the government has defended the security forces move in Jammu and Kashmir.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the armed forces were working under tremendous pressure and exercising great restraint.
“It was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions.... If an army major got away without hurting anybody, it’s a great job.... There was nothing wrong, considering the circumstances. If it has to be done again, it should be done again. We are 100 per cent backing the army and the major,” he said.
Video footage showed the man -- identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, a 26-year-old embroidery artist -- strapped to the front of an army jeep, a tactic apparently devised to deter stone-throwers who had clashed with security forces on April 9 when polling was held for the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election. The army had said it was probing the incident.
Meanwhile, army chief General Bipin Rawat emphasised the need to guard the “high reputation” of the army.
Addressing top officers at the Army Commanders’ Conference, Rawat also spoke about the “effective conduct of operations” in a synergised manner and complimented soldiers carrying out difficult tasks on the ground.
An army release quoted Rawat as saying that the army continues to hold a strong image and a professional reputation. The army chief asked the force to further strengthen that image and reputation.
