Major Leetul Gogoi

shield to prevent mobs

Man tied to jeep had led stone pelters, says Major Gogoi

NEW DELHI:, who trussed up a civilian, Farooq Ahmad Dar , on his jeep’s bonnet as afrom attacking Election Commission staff in J&K’s Budgam last month, told TV channels on Tuesday that he had caught Dar on realising he was instigating a group of stone-pelters and could have been their leader. Defending his action, the Army Major told the media, “I have not fired a bullet, not beaten up anyone... there was no collateral damage. From my point of view I have not violated anything… We are here to help the people. The Army is here for common people, against those with weapons and those who fight against nation.” Major Gogoi said that Dar, whom he had tied to the fender of his jeep as a shield against a mob during the J&K bypolls, was initially standing about 30 metres from the jeep among the group of stonepelters.“I immediately told my boys (colleagues) to catch hold of him. He was instigating the crowd and might have been the ringleader,” Gogoi said.“When he saw us, he started running towards the crowd and got on his bike. Somehow, we caught him,” the Major recalled. Gogoi, who was awarded on Monday the Army Chief Commendation Card for sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations, had been criticised on April 14 when the video of his “action” went viral.It was a “do-or-die situation”, he said and his spur-of-the-moment decision was “not wrong for me, my organisation or my country”. “If I hadn’t done that, at least 12 or more lives could have been lost… Had I fired, there would have been casualties,” Gogoi said. The Major described an extremely fraught situation outside the polling booth. “Over 1,200 people had surrounded the polling station and were trying to burn it down with petrol bombs. People were pelting stones from all sides, even women and children, and even people from roof tops,” Gogoi recalled.