Twenty six-year-old Farooq Ahmad Dar shudders with fear when he recalls the day he was tied to an army jeep and paraded 26 kms, allegedly to keep stone pelters at bay.
Dar, who ekes out a living by working as a Sozni (handmade embroidery) craftsman, was on his way to Gampora to offer condolence when he was allegedly picked up by the army troopers near Putligam and tied to the bonnet of a jeep before being paraded around dozens of villages.
"I cannot believe that I am alive. They first thrashed me and then tied me to the bonnet of the jeep and zoomed past several villages", said Dar.
His brother Fayaz Ahmad added that Dar had even cast his vote before he left to attend the condolence meeting of a relative when he was allegedly caught by the army and tied to the bonnet of their jeep to keep stone throwers at bay.
Anger spread across Kashmir after the video went viral.
Former CM Omar Abdullah tweeted Dar's picture, and demanded an investigation into the case. Later he posted a 19 second-video on his Twitter handle sparking an outrage on the social media.
"Here's the video as well. A warning can be heard saying stone pelters will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry & follow up NOW!!" Omar said.
"The contents of the video are being verified and investigated", said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, defence spokesman at Srinagar.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday, "Whatever has happened, we will look into it."
