Capt jumps gun on army major, gets support of saffron brigade
CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh jumped the gun by welcoming the so-called “clean chit” given to an officer who tied a Kashmiri youth in front of a vehicle to avoid attack from stone-pelters.
“Good to hear of @adgpi Court of Inquiry clean chit to ‘human shield’ officer Major Nitin Gogoi, should be given distinguished service award,” tweeted Capt Amarinder, who is a military historian and a former officer of the Sikh regiment himself, on Monday night after media reports.
Though he has been steadfast in his support for the major from the beginning, the Congress leader reacted too soon to the clean chit reports, seeking an award for the officer.
The army denied that the officer had been given a clean chit, saying that the court of inquiry (CoI) into the allegations was still on. “The CoI concerned with the incident wherein a civilian was tied to an army jeep is still incomplete,” the army’s Srinagar-based spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said, calling the media reports “speculative”.
But that did not stop tweeple from giving the thumbs up to Capt Amarinder for showing his support for the major. His tweet went viral with over 3,798 retweets and 6,451 likes, making it perhaps one of his most popular posts on the social networking site in recent months. Also, praise poured in for the Punjab chief minister with most of those who posted their comments – many of them BJP supporters – lauding his response. Several of them took digs at the Congress while praising him.
CAPT UNWAVERING IN SUPPORT FOR OFFICER
However, this is not the first time Capt Amarinder spoke in support of the major. A fortnight ago also, the CM had come down heavily on those criticising Major Gogoi, coming out in his defence. “The officer was simply doing his duty. Had I been in the same situation, I would have carried out the same action,” he wrote in a post on Facebook.
HIS TWEET WENT VIRAL WITH 3,798 RETWEETS AND 6,451 LIKES MAKING IT PERHAPS ONE OF HIS MOST POPULAR POSTS ON THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE IN RECENT MONTHS