Srinagar: Farooq Ahmad Dar, who was tied to an army jeep and paraded during the violence-hit April 9 by-polls in Srinagar, had cast his vote before he was used as a "human shield", a police investigation has confirmed.
Dar, a Kashmiri shawl maker, had preserved his voting slip.
The police report has said that Dar "had cast his vote at a polling booth in his native village" and was "picked up by the army during stone pelting and tied to the bonnet of a vehicle as human shield under threat". It also says he was "kept under wrongful confinement" and was paraded before he was released.
Condemned over the images of Dar as a human shield - widely circulated on social media - the army had said that its move saved a dozen lives.
"It was done only to save the local people. Had we opened fire, there would have been a dozen casualties... I got a fraction of a moment to get out safely. I saved at least 12 lives," said Major Gogoi, who received a Commendation Card from Army Chief Bipin Rawat.
Dar told NDTV: "They were saying that I am a stone pelter, but now today it has been proved than I am not a stone-pelter, I am an Indian, but they still they tied me to the vehicle and they don't trust me."
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "Farooq Dar has been damned by the people who wanted the election boycotted and he's been damned by the establishment that wanted people to vote."
Dar, a Kashmiri shawl maker, had preserved his voting slip.
The police report has said that Dar "had cast his vote at a polling booth in his native village" and was "picked up by the army during stone pelting and tied to the bonnet of a vehicle as human shield under threat". It also says he was "kept under wrongful confinement" and was paraded before he was released.
The Army tied Farooq Dar to a jeep in Jammu and Kashmir to prevent stone-pelting from a mob.
Condemned over the images of Dar as a human shield - widely circulated on social media - the army had said that its move saved a dozen lives.
Advertisement
"It was done only to save the local people. Had we opened fire, there would have been a dozen casualties... I got a fraction of a moment to get out safely. I saved at least 12 lives," said Major Gogoi, who received a Commendation Card from Army Chief Bipin Rawat.
Advertisement
Dar told NDTV: "They were saying that I am a stone pelter, but now today it has been proved than I am not a stone-pelter, I am an Indian, but they still they tied me to the vehicle and they don't trust me."
Advertisement
Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: "Farooq Dar has been damned by the people who wanted the election boycotted and he's been damned by the establishment that wanted people to vote."
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Major Gogoi's Seniority Reduced For "Fraternising" With Woman: Report Major Leetul Gogoi Indicted, Shifted Out Of Unit In Srinagar Hotel Case Army Orders Action Against Officer Over Row Involving Kashmiri Woman 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel 'Pager Bombs' Target Hezbollah In Lebanon. What We Know So Far - 5 Points IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport World's Oldest Sunday Newspaper, 'The Observer', Up For Sale PM Modi To Visit US For Quad Summit, Attend UN Assembly From Sept 21-24 Ground Report: Central Forces' Canteens Open To Public In Violence-Hit Manipur Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.