The partition of India and Pakistan divided the region of Kashmir, cuing up decades of protest, military action, and fighting which has claimed 70,000 lives, including protesters killed by the Indian Army.
The April 9 by-election in Srinagar was no exception, with 8 protesters killed and dozens wounded. But this round had a difference: a viral video featuring a Kashmiri student tied to the front of an Indian Army jeep, accompanied by a voice shouting "stone throwers will meet a similar fate."
India's Attorney General stone throwers will meet a similar fate appears to have acknowledged the video's accuracy, giving a tone-deaf statement where he praised the tactic as "innovative" and proposed that it might save lives among the protesters and soldiers by deterring stone-throwing.
The Indian army is reportedly investigating the incident. However, a section of Indian media and the Attorney General were seen trying to justify the action of the security forces saying the “human shield” idea was innovative and it saved lives of the security forces. And there were also condemnations of the actions of the pro-freedom protests. More videos emerged of the protesters indiscriminately attacking the security forces and shouting “Go India, Go back” slogans.
The Viral Video That Showed a Kashmiri Protester Tied to an Indian Military Jeep
[Ieshan Wani and Rezwan/Global Voices]
