Kashmir human shield row: ICJ should take suo-moto action against Major Gogoi, says Hurriyat's Geelani

A day after the Indian Army honoured a major who tied a Kashmiri man to a jeep as a human shield against stone-pelters, hardline Hurriyat Conference chief Sayed Ali Shah Geelani said on Tuesday that the International Court of Justice should take suo-moto action in the case.

He termed the honouring of Major Leetul Gogoi by the army as an extremely distressing and shameful act.

Gogoi was honoured on Monday with the army chief's 'Commendation Card' for his 'sustained efforts' in counter-insurgency operations. 

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The Major is in the middle of a row over tying Kashmiri youth Farooq Ahmad Dar to an army vehicle during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election on April 9 allegedly as a shield against stone-pelting. 

"It (honouring the Major) is extremely distressing and a shameful act. Honouring such an officer clearly vindicates our claim that this is a state-sponsored policy and if not stopped, it will prove detrimental for human lives," Geelani said in a statement. 

He linked the human shield controversy to that of the Kulbhushan Jadhav issue and said the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should intervene and punish erring officer.

Read | Tied man to jeep to save local people from stone-pelters, says Major Leetul Gogoi 

Geelani also hit out at politicians for favouring Major Gogoi and their misinterpretation of the gruesome incident. 

"It is ridiculous to award the said officer for the insensitive human shield incident. It is not an exemplary act. How did he save human lives? The youth was arrested in Beerwa when the situation was quite peaceful and normal. "It is a fabricated story and a lame excuse to save the erring official," he said.