Army orders court of inquiry into Kashmir ‘human shield’ video incident

New Delhi: The army has ordered a court of inquiry (CoI) into the controversial “human shield” incident in Kashmir in which a man was tied to an army vehicle purportedly as a shield against stone pelters.

Army officials said the CoI has been given one month’s time to complete the probe.

A video, showing the man tied to an army vehicle as a shield against the stone pelters during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election on 9 April, triggered a public outcry. The CoI will look into the circumstance that prompted an army major to tie the Kashmiri youth to the jeep’s bonnet as a “human shield”.

The CoI has been given time till 15 May to probe the incident, the officials said.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had visited Jammu and Kashmir following the incident and later apprised national security advisor Ajit Doval of the security situation in the Kashmir Valley. Gen Rawat also had separate deliberations with Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and governor N.N. Vohra over the law-and-order situation in Kashmir during his visit to the state.