Kashmiri Man Who Was Used As Human Shield By The Army, Now Lives As An Outsider In His Village

An embroidery artisan till a year ago when he was propped on a jeep as a “human shield” by soldiers against stone-pelters, Farooq Ahmed Dar says he is a broken man, shunned by neighbours, struggling to pick up the threads of his life.

Boycotted by villagers branding him a government agent and chastising him for going to vote, he says he is suffering from insomnia and depression. Unable to find a job, even as a manual labourer, the 28-year-old says his life was upended exactly 12 months ago.

On April 9 last year, a team led by Major Leetul Gogoi tied Farooq Ahmed Dar to the bonnet of an army jeep to escape stone throwing in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The image went on to make headlines and put civilian-security ties in the valley in the spotlight.Click Here: essendon bombers guernsey 2019