The Army officer said not one shot was fired as a result of his decision to tie the stone-pelter to jeep.
Indian Army Major Leetul Gogoi, who had stirred a controversy by tying a local youth in front of a jeep last month in Kashmir as a human shield to avoid attack from stone-pelters, today revealed how his impromptu act saved at least 12 lives.
"I did this only to save the local people. Had I fired there would have been more than 12 casualties....With this idea I have saved many people's lives," Major Gogoi of 53 Rashtriya Rifles told reporters.
It was for the first time since the April 9 incident during Srinagar bypoll, which had created an uproar in the Kashmir Valley and deepened the divide between security forces and civilians, that the Army officer narrated the entire incident
Major Gogoi said he got a distress from an ITBP team that around 1200 people have surrounded ITBP personnel and polling staff inside Utligam polling station where petrol bombs were also being hurled.
He said when they reached the spot the crowd, which included women and children, started pelting stones on them. Even stone boulders were thrown upon them from rooftops and as a result they could not even move out of their vehicles.
The crowd didn't respond to any announcements.
Major Gogoi said at that time he saw a short person standing close to him who appeared to be the ring leader. When they tried to catch him he tried to ran away but failed.
After holding him, the Army team started walking towards the polling booth and rescued the staff.
In the meantime, according to his account, their mine-protected vehicle caught stuck in the mud which gave the crowd another chance to pelt stones.
"They became more violent and petrol bombs were also hurled....At that moment of time suddenly the idea of tying him up in the vehicle came. By seeing this the stone-pelting had stopped for a while. We got a window to come out safely from that area," Gogoi said.
Reflecting that the Army supports his action,
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has awarded COAS (Chief of Army Staff) commendation for sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations to him during his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
A video of the incident which happened during Srinagar by-polls had gone viral leading to an uproar. The Jammu and Kashmir Police had also registered an FIR against the security forces.
On April 15 the Army had constituted a court of inquiry into the incident.
Sources: Indiatoday
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