[India], May 23 (ANI): After the Jammu and Kashmir Police refused to quash the First Information Report (FIR) against him for tying a man to the bonnet of his jeep to serve as a ‘human shield’, Major Leetul Gogoi on Tuesday defended his act by saying that he took the step “to save the people trapped in the polling booth.”
“I got a call on April 9, when the by-election was being held in the Budgam sector of Jammu and Kashmir. I got a call from an officer, who informed me that around 1,200 people had cornered their booth and were trying to burn it with petrol bombs. When I went there, I somehow managed to rescue the polling staff and tried to escort them away to safety, but it was proving very difficult in the face of more than 1,200 stone-pelters,” he told in a press briefing here.
He said that at that time he saw the man who was instigating the crowd and was even-raising anti-national slogans. So, they caught the man after which the crowd dispersed a bit.
“It was very difficult to control them; their number was considerably increasing. I could have opened fire, but that would have even worsened the situation. At that time suddenly in my mind, I thought to tie the stone-pelters to the jeep. Seeing this, the stone-pelting stopped. Then I got a safe window to come out. I did these things just to save the local people. Had I not done it, 12 people would have died,” Gogoi said.
Earlier, the political parties were left irked when Major Gogoi was awarded by Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS) Commendation Card for his sustained distinguished service till now in counter-insurgency operations in the state, citing that his measures against stone-pelters would only aggravate the situation in the Valley.
The officer was awarded by Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat during his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir.
Major Gogoi was in the spotlight after a video shot during the April 9 Srinagar Lok Sabha by-polls, posted on the social media, showed a man tied on the bonnet of an Army jeep in Jammu and Kashmir’s Badgam.
The video went viral and sparked a major controversy, with one faction condemning the Army’s action while the other commended their ingenuity.
The Court of Inquiry regarding April 9 incident is under finalisation. (ANI)
4th T20I: NZ PM Christopher Luxon dons commentary hat at Eden Park, lauds Phillips’ blitz Auckland, Oct 30 (IANS) New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon traded his political responsibilities for cricket commentary during Blackcaps’ fourth T20I against India here at Eden Park PM Luxon took to social media to share the glimpses from the commentary box and lavished praise on Glenn Phillips for his batting masterclass and the team’s overall batting effort. “In the commentary box at Eden Park tonight for the @BLACKCAPS v India. Unreal innings from Glenn Phillips and a huge effort with the bat from the Blackcaps,” the New Zealand PM posted on X. Phillips (107 from 49 balls), arguably the batter of the series so far, smashed his third T20I century, while Bracewell also hit 65 from 25 balls to help New Zealand pile up their highest-ever T20I total and also the highest by any team against India in the format. This surpassed New Zealand’s previous highest score of 254/5, which they had smashed four years ago against Scotland, and is the most by any team against India, going past the previous 257/3 that England had hit in Southampton earlier this year. Phillips has been the batter of the series, having hit an 82 not out and 70 in the first two matches before his 107 in the fourth game. He was dismissed by Nitish in the final over when he miscued a lofted drive to Abhishek at deep extra covers, but the Kiwis have put up a record total against India as Nathan Smith finished with a four on the final ball. India have already sealed the five-match series comfortably after victories in the opening three games. In the third T20I, India openers Abhishek Sharma (113) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (45) stitched together a powerplay display for the record books, piling on 118 runs in six overs as they chased down 199 runs off just 13.2 overs against New Zealand. This was the second-quickest chase of a 190-run target or more (with 40 deliveries remaining), second only to Estonia’s chase of 193 against Cyprus in 2024, which they completed with 42 deliveries to spare.