AG says army did a ‘smart act’

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday backed the army after a video showing a man being used as a ‘human shield’ in Kashmir went viral. The country’s top law officer said the officer in charge “did a smart thing and defused a nasty situation.”

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi said the armed forces were working under tremendous pressure and exercising great restraint.

The army found itself at the centre of a controversy after the video clip surfaced last week. Rohatgi said the major was summoned by officials in the poll booth since they were surrounded by several hundred stone pelters.

“The poll booth is symbolic of democracy. He (the major) should not be criticised. The army should be applauded. They are guarding our northern and north eastern frontiers admirably,” Rohatgi said in a statement.

“They are a trained force responsible for their actions. Military operations cannot be subject of such discussions on social media.”

Meanwhile, army chief General Bipin Rawat on Monday emphasised the need to guard the “high reputation” of the army. Addressing top officers at the Army Commanders’ Conference, Rawat also spoke about “effective conduct of operations” in a synergised manner and complimented soldiers carrying out difficult tasks on the ground.

After inaugurating the biannual conference, defence minister Arun Jaitley said, “Whenever the challenges multiply or their nature changes, the Indian Army has always outperformed itself.”