Page 23 - 15SEPT2018E

KASHMIR

Indictment of Major Gogoi noise when it strikes,” Dar

told Tehelka. “At the time I
had cast my vote defying
suggests few in Army do the widespread boycott.
But he branded me a stone
pelter, tied me to his jeep
and beat me up.”
misuse authority of the woman who was
Similarly, the father
caught with Major Gogoi
has also expressed satis-
faction at the indictment
of the Army officer and
The military officer is now facing court martial proceedings for trying to enter a Srinagar hotel with a urged the Army chief to
Kashmiri woman during his duty hours early this year, writes RIYAZ WANI live up to his promise of
handing an exemplary
punishment to the guilty
n the day, the Army court sanctioned his torture by the Army. concluded. But its outcome has been officer. “Our family has
of enquiry indicted Ma- Also, despite the facts about Dar being rendered irrelevant after the Army suffered a lot since the
jor Gogoi for “fraternis- well known, he was projected as a stone chief chose to honour him over the incident. We have strug-
ing” with a local girl at pelter to strengthen the argument that incident. In Kashmir, the import of the gled to reconcile with the
O a Srinagar hotel, a local using him as human shield was justified Army’s differential response to the two situation,” the father told
daily ran a story with a telling headline under the circumstances. incidents hasn’t been lost. It has become the media. “We will be
which went as: “Spared for using man But now the Army has initiated court a fresh cause for grievance against New satisfied if the Army of-
as shield, indicted for hotel outing.” martial proceedings against him after Delhi’s approach towards the ongoing ficer is punished for what
In April last year the Army officer had holding him guilty of trying to enter a turmoil in the state. Many have picked he did to us.”
controversially used a civilian named Srinagar hotel with a Kashmiri woman fault with the intention behind the However, at the same
Farooq Dar as human shield by trussing early this year. At the time an alter - Major’s indictment. “Enquiry has no time, the father also wants
him up on the bonnet of his jeep and cation had broken out between him reference to the fact as to why Gogoi punishment for Sameer Ahmad Malla, • Hero or villain? Major Gogoi was considered Following the incident, the Jammu
parading him through the villages in and the hotel receptionist who had brought a minor girl to hotel but as to a local resident, who had accompa - a hero on social media but in Kashmir he was and Kashmir Police registered a case
Budgam, ostensibly to pre-empt stone- refused to offer him room. He was why he left the camp without inform- nied Major Gogoi and the woman to a widely seen as a villain under sections 302 (murder) and 307
pelting. The video of the incident went found guilty on two counts: one, frat- ing the commanding officer,” posted Srinagar hotel and engaged in alter- (attempt to murder) of the Ranbir Penal
viral, generating outrage in Kashmir ernising with a local person despite one Shafqat Nazir on Facebook. “So, cation with the staff there when they Code against the personnel of the army
and across the country and also sup- official instructions to the contrary, and there is nothing for us to cheer about”. refused room to the Army offic - eters for punishing an army personnel unit, including Aditya. But after Major
port from a large section of the public two, doing so when he was on duty in Some, however, saw it as a “poetic er. “It was he (Malla) who brought have shifted. If an army personnel has Kumar’s father, Lt Col Karamveer Singh,
opinion outside the state. But far from an operational area. justice”. “There is a pin drop silence in Major Gogoi twice to our home on one committed excess against a civilian in moved the Supreme Court for quash-
being punished, Major Gogoi was not Interestingly, the Army’s enquiry the camp of right wingers who openly or another pretext,” the father said. the state, it can be overlooked, justi- ing the FIR, the Court restrained the
only given a clean chit but also con- into the human shield case is yet to be and emphatically hailed Major Gogoi “He is also the culprit. He shouldn’t be fied and merit even an award. But if J&K Police from taking any “coercive
ferred with a commendation medal for violating human rights when he let off”. it is about a violation of the Army dis- steps” against army officers, including
by no less than the Army chief General tied Farooq Dar at the bonnet of his The poor family which lives at vil- cipline, the erring personnel can be Major Kumar. The award to Major
Bipin Rawat for his “sustained efforts jeep, and also defended him when he lage Chak-Kawoosa has been fac - immediately taken to task,” says Naseer Kumar similarly triggered outrage
in counter-insurgency operations as Even before the was caught with a minor girl in a ho- ing social stigma since the incident. Ahmad, a local columnist. “This is why in Kashmir. On social media, people
well as his presence of mind and initia- Army could complete tel,” wrote Nighat Rather on social me- The woman has been sent to live while the probe into Major’s outing slammed the move, some even term-
tive to prevent bloodshed in a volatile dia. “Now when the military court has with the relatives in another dis - with a local girl was completed within ing it as New Delhi’s gift to Kashmir on
situation”. its probe, the Army initiated disciplinary action against trict. However, in her statement to a few months that in the human shield Independence Day.
In Kashmir that was seen as add- chief General Bipin Major Gogoi, cat caught their tongue. the court last year, the woman had incident is pending since one and a “This apathetic policy towards
ing insult to the injury. Ironically, the Now they are in big dilemma what accepted that she had willingly gone half year now”. human rights excesses in Kashmir will
Gogoi’s human shield Dar was among Rawat honoured to do as they can’t point out fingers on with the Majir to the hotel. Further deepening this endemic only further alienate Kashmiris and
the tiny group of people who had Gogoi with a COAS Army and on other hand can’t criticise In Kashmir, the people have tend- sense of grievance is the award of stoke more anger and violence,” says
defied Hurriyat and the protesters to their hero whom they once hailed it at ed to look at the Army’s differential Shaurya Chakra to Major Aditya Kumar Naseer. “New Delhi could help its cause
vote in the then Srinagar parliamen- commendation card the top of their voice”. approach to two transgressions by one on Independence Day for valour while more if it is non-discriminatory in how
tary by-poll, thereby daring to side with The human shield victim Farooq Dar of its officers in a span of one year as not engaged in direct action with the it deals with the erring security person-
New Delhi amid an all-out Azadi cam- for his ‘sustained himself sees it as divine justice. “For me of a piece with the New Delhi’s cur- enemy. In January, Major Kumar’s unit nel in Kashmir”.
paign in Kashmir. But instead of rising valour’ the justice has been done. And it has rent hardline policy towards Kashmir. had had fired at a stone-pelting mob in
to his defence, central government been done by God. His stick makes no “If anything, it shows even the param- Shopian that left three civilians dead. LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 15 SEPTEMBER 2018 22 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 15 SEPTEMBER 2018 23 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

22-23 Gogoi Riyaz.indd 2 9/1/2018 3:21:07 PM 22-23 Gogoi Riyaz.indd 3 9/1/2018 3:21:12 PM