In what is certainly going to disappoint the pro-Kashmiri, anti-army, anti-India and Leftist forces in the country, the Indian Army has decided to honor the officer who took the decision of tying a stone pelter to his jeep to safely navigate through an area beset by stone pelters.
In April, pictures and video of a Kashmiri stone pelter driven through an area while tied to an Army jeep had gone viral. The incident had happened on April 9 during the by-polls in the state.
Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah was one of the first to condemn the move. Condemnation also poured in from a section of elite journalists, intellectuals and pro-Separatists forces of the country.
The Indian Army had then ordered a probe into the incident.
Major Gogoi. Twitter
It later emerged that the officer was Major Leetul Gogoi.
PTI reports that on Monday the Army chief General Bipin Rawat presented the officer a commendation card for his sustained efforts on counter-insurgency operations.
Clear message from the Army: Major Gogoi acted for safety of maximum. And nothing is more paramount. pic.twitter.com/7DJg33vJoC
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) May 22, 2017
A few days ago, there were reports which claimed that the army had given a clean chit to Major Gogoi. The army had then denied the same claiming that the inquiry was not over.
Praises for the Indian Army and the Major poured in on social media as soon as the news of him getting a commendation arrived.
We are proud to have been part of the group that from Day 1 stood by the great young military field commander Maj Gogoi. Good! Army Chief https://t.co/3kKtYik9D4
— Aviator Anil Chopra (@Chopsyturvey) May 22, 2017
Heartiest congratulations to Maj. Gogoi on being awarded COAS Commendation Card. Well done. We are extremely proud of you. @adgpi
— Major Gaurav Arya (@majorgauravarya) May 22, 2017
Major Gogoi’s decision saved a dozen J&K employees, 9 ITBP jawans, a couple of J&K constables and a bus driver from a murderous mob that day
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) May 22, 2017
Major Gogoi deserved to be honored. He avoided a blood bath for which entire Armed Forces would have been blamed. https://t.co/dpICk5pE7s
— Sunanda Vashisht (@sunandavashisht) May 22, 2017
Good news😊
Major Gogoi,We are proud of you brother 💪👍💐Keep it up !
Country 🇮🇳 is ABOVE all,come what may ! @adgpi pic.twitter.com/y1u8chryH5— Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) May 22, 2017
Obviously Army would not have awarded Major Gogoi just for one action, but good that they didn’t care about “narrative” while awarding. 👍🙏
— Rahul Roushan (@rahulroushan) May 22, 2017
Indian army stands tall 2day..ACT OF PATRIOTISM well rewarded..grt way 2 defend n suppprt d young braveheart @adgpi #MajorGogoiHonoured
— Sunshine girl (@DurgaMenon) May 22, 2017
It should be noted that Congress leader and Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh himself praised Major Gogoi.
Happy to hear of possible bravery award for ‘human shield’ officer Major Nitin Gogoi, hope it’s true, the officer deserves it @adgpi.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 22, 2017
This is going to have a major positive impact on the morale of the soldiers: Captain Amarinder Singh, Punjab CM #MajorGogoiHonoured pic.twitter.com/8C1Qpicafz
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) May 22, 2017
Two days ago in a very hard-hitting article titled ‘I Applaud Major Gogoi’, the Punjab CM not only justified the Major’s action but also demanded a distinguished services medal for him. He also slammed the human rights activists for protesting the Major’s action.
“And when someone does try to understand the complexities of such a situation and chooses to follow a path less treaded, he or she is accused of being insensitive to the concerns of the ordinary people of the land, in gross violation of their human rights. Or condemned for taking a stand contrary to that of the majority.
Contrarian or not, my opinion on the Major Gogoi episode is clearly and unequivocally in favour of the officer, who only did what was absolutely correct, and possibly the only sane and logical course of action available to him, in the circumstances.”
“Peace, in my opinion, is only possible if the government writ runs large, which, naturally, also means that the Indian Army should have an upper hand to be able to negotiate peace on terms that are favourable to the country and in the interest of its people, including our brave jawans,” he added.
