23 May 2017•Update: 23 May 2017
By Zahid Rafiq
SRINAGAR, Jammu and Kashmir
An army officer who used a male civilian as a human shield by tying him to the back of a military vehicle in the disputed Kashmir region, received a commendation Monday, the army said.
"Major (Leetul) Gogoi has been awarded Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Card for sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations," Army spokesperson Aman Anand said.
India's reported systematic use of torture, human shields and flouting of other international laws in Kashmir was again under scrutiny after video of the incident April 9 went viral.
The Army ordered an internal inquiry but concluded Gogoi was not guilty of wrongdoing.
Following the incident, the army and political establishment celebrated the use of human shields as “a wise idea” to prevent their forces in the disputed Kashmir from being attacked by pro-independence protestors.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is controlled by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars, and two have concerned Kashmir.
Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
More than 70,000 victims have been reportedly killed in the conflict since 1989.
India maintains more than 500,000 troops in the disputed region.
