Honour for Indian officer who used man as a shield

India’s army said yesterday it had commended a senior officer who tied a Kashmiri man to a jeep and used him as a human shield, sparking outrage from human rights activists.

Video footage showing Farooq Ahmad Dar bound to the front of an army jeep as it led a convoy in Indian-administered Kashmir caused a public outcry in the Himalayan region.

Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi defended his action yesterday and the army said his commendation was “for his sustained efforts in counterinsurgency.”