Army Chief General Bipin Rawat called on J&K Mehbooba Mufti this evening amid a controversial video showing a man tied to an army vehicle during polling for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on April 9.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat called on Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti this evening amid a controversial video showing a man tied to an army vehicle during polling for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on April 9.
While the 30-minute-long meeting, which began at 1900 hours, was termed as a courtesy call, official sources said that the chief minister raised the issue of the video that has gone viral on social media.
The army chief, who was on a visit to the Jammu-based IX Corps of Western Command, had called on Governor N N Vohra and apprised him about the situation along the borders and also on the forthcoming Amarnath Yatra.
Gen Rawat apprised Mehbooba about the situation in the Valley and assured her of timely action against its personnel who were responsible for the act of tying the man to the vehicle at Budgam.
According to the sources, the army officials told a probe team that they had received a call from ITBP and local police guarding a polling station to save them from a mob which was out to lynch them.
The army convoy rushed in from Kandipura and tied 36- year-old man Farooq Dar to the army jeep, they said.
This incident was shot by unknown residents on their mobiles and the video showing Dar as a shield against stone- pelting protesters was circulated on social media.
The video triggered a public outcry in the valley prompting the civil and army authorities to launch separate investigations.
During the investigation, Dar was claimed to have said he was picked up when he was on way to his sister's house, where a bereavement had occurred, after casting his vote.
He alleged he was picked up by an army contingent that wanted to enter Beerwah village with the polling staff and tied with ropes to the front of the vehicle, officials said. The video showed the thickset man strapped to the bonnet while seated on the stepney affixed to the bumper of the jeep. Dar claimed he was moved around 10-12 villages at the head of the convoy, which included vehicles with security personnel and polling staff, before being let off.
Two more videos go viral
Two videos, showing military personnel beating up youth and forcing them to shout anti- Pakistan slogans, are doing rounds on social media after which army said that it would ascertain the veracity of the footage and take appropriate action.
The purported videos emerged just a day after another video in which army personnel were seen having tied a youth to the fender of their jeep and parading him through villages in Budgam district to bring stone-pelting under control.
In one of the videos that emerged today, four army personnel are seen catching hold of student from Pulwama degree college, pin him to the ground and thrash him with a cane.
In the second video, three youth who seem to be under army custody in a vehicle are forced by a soldier to abuse Pakistan and shout slogans like "Pakistan murdabad".
"Azaadi chahiyay tum ko (do you want freedom)?" the soldier is seen asking the youth before slapping them and hitting them with a stick.
Blood is seen oozing from the forehead of one of the youths in the army vehicle.
It is not yet clear who shot the videos but they are being circulated across social media platforms, leading to condemnation from netizens of Kashmir."This is complete impunity. Yesterday human shield.
Today breaking into a government college in the daylight and these brutal incidents," a Facebook user commented on the video.
Yesterday, a video emerged in which army personnel had tied a youth to fender of their jeep and paraded him through several villages in Budgam district to bring stone-pelting under control.
The video drew widespread condemnation, prompting Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to seek a detailed report from the state police. Army also began an internal investigation into the incident.
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