Defence experts applaud Major Gogoi for adopting 'non-violent' measure

Defence experts on Tuesday applauded the move of the Indian Army to award Major Gogoi, adding that no security personnel would have adopted such non-violent measure in order to save so many lives.

Defence expert Shivali Deshpande opined that no other army in the world is so tolerant and had Major Gogoi opened fire, there would have been bloodshed.

"Heartiest congratulations to Major Gogoi. He has been awarded for the incident where he tied a man to his jeep to be used as a human shield in order to save lives of many. Which army in the world would adopt such non-violent measures at the time of crisis to save lives of more than 400? It is only the Indian Army which has shown lot of restraint and Major Gogoi as well," Shivali told ANI.

Another defence expert Sunil Deshpande also observed the same, saying that the appreciation by the Defence Minister would have added to the morale of the army and Major Gogoi.

"It is heartening to note that Major Gogoi, who had tied a Kashmiri in front of his jeep and saved a grim situation, has been awarded. In fact, Major Gogoi used a fantastic idea to save the situation. I am happy that the army and the Defence Minister appreciated him," he told ANI.

Yesterday, Major Gogoi, the Army officer who tied a man to the bonnet of a jeep as a 'human shield' against a stone-pelting mob in Jammu and Kashmir, was awarded by Chief of Army Staff's (COAS) Commendation Card for his sustained distinguished service till now in counter-insurgency operations in the state.

He has been performing his counter insurgency duties for more than a year with the 53 Rashtriya Rifles Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gogoi belongs to the Army Supply Corps of the Indian Army.

Major Gogoi was in the spotlight after a video, shot during the April 9 Srinagar Lok Sabha by-polls, posted on the social media, showed a man tied on the bonnet of an Army jeep in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam Sector.

The video went viral and sparked a major controversy, with one faction condemning the army's action while the other commended their ingenuity.

The Court of Inquiry regarding April 9 incident is under finalisation.

While awarding the officer, all factors including notable performance of the officer and overall emerging indicators of the Court of Inquiry have been well-considered.