According to reports, Farooq Ahmad Dar was not a protestor but a passer-by.
Farooq Ahmad Dar, the 26-year-old human shield who was allegedly picked up early last month when he was on way to his sister's house, was strapped to an Army jeep by Major Leetul Gogoi of the 53 Rashtriya Rifles. A resident of Sitaharaan village in Budgam district, Mr Dar had cast his vote in the Lok Sabha by-polls the same morning.
The video of the incident soon made it to news channels and social media drawing widespread condemnation. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti urgently demanded a detailed report from the state police. An FIR was filed against the Army on April 15. The charges being considered include kidnapping and endangering the man's life. The Army, too, initiated an internal investigation, the report of which is still awaited.
Now that Major Gogoi has been awarded COAS Commendation Card by Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat for "his sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations", the Jammu and Kashmir Police have made it clear that the "investigation into the circumstances that led to the incident would continue".
The First Information Report (FIR) has not been quashed, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Munir Khan, said.
"Once an FIR is lodged, the investigation has to be completed. The investigation will be done and its result will be shared," Mr Khan added.
Whatever comes out in the investigation is a separate matter, he said, "but it will take place and it will be seen what is right and what is wrong".
According to Army sources Major Gogoi was thinking on his feet when he tied Mr Dar to the vehicle to contain "intense stone-throwing" in the region.
After Mr Dar was attached to the bonnet of the Army jeep, stone-throwing stopped and the soldiers and their vehicles were able to pass the area without any further incident. But the decision led to a deep divide between the supporters and critics of such manoeuvres.
(With inputs from PTI)