Srinagar, March 30 (TNS): Glamorizing the use of “human shields” by the army in Indian-occupied Kashmir, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) official in India is selling T-shirts online showing the infamous scene of an Indian army jeep with a human shield tied to the front that has created outrage in the region.
The online shopping site run by Delhi BJP spokesman Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga’s company, Bagga Fashions, is selling the T-shirts with caption “Indian army … saving your ass whether you like it or not”.
The T-Shirts are being sold for 495 rupees ($8).
The image used on the T-shirts is of 27-year-old Farooq Ahmad Dar, a resident of Chill Village in Budgam area of central Kashmir. Dar was tied to the front of an army jeepby Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi on April 9 last year.
The state-run Human Rights Commission in the region last year termed the act illegal and recommended that the victim be paid $15,000 as compensation for “humiliation physical and psychological torture”.
However, the state government, a coalition between People’s Democratic Party and the BJP, rejected the recommendation.
Critics say Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hardline policy was not working in Kashmir, which has seen a rise in violence amid stalled talks between India and Pakistan.
Rebel groups in Indian-administered Kashmir have for decades battled against troops and police, demanding independence or a merger of the Himalayan territory with Pakistan.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
