Indian Army drags dead militant by chains in Kashmir; human rights activists call act 'barbaric'

In the summer of 2016, a civilian going to cast his vote in Budgam was paraded by the Indian Army, tied to the bonnet of a jeep and used as a human shield. The video, which had gone viral on social media, had generated a lot of criticism.

In a Déjà vu moment, another image has brought back the memory. A picture depicting the Indian armed forces dragging a dead militant has gone viral on social media on Friday, September 14, ending a day of deadly gunfights in Sopore and Kakriyal, along with the Jammu and Kashmir highway.

According to Outlook, the army — already facing a raft of allegations over rights violations in the insurgency-hit state — has yet to issue a statement on the latest controversy.

A report in Free Press Kashmir stated that earlier, a joint team of army's 22RR, SOG and CRPF laid a siege in Sopore following specific information about the presence of some militants late last night. SSP Sopore Javid Iqbal said that the gunfight broke out after the hiding militants lobbed a grenade and opened fire on a search party.

The militants have been identified as Ali alias Athar, and Zia-ur-Rehman. Ali was previously known as having a hand behind the Sopore IED blast in which four policemen had been killed.

"Barbaric. This explains Indian army's human rights conduct," tweets activist Khurram Pervez.

The photo of the militant, supine and facedown with soldiers pulling the chain tied to his legs, was widely circulated and attracted widespread condemnation. Outlook tried contacting the Indian Army but hasn't received any reply yet.

This is not the first time the army is facing allegations of mistreating dead militants. Shabir Hussain, an editor with a local English magazine, in his Facebook post writes: "This is a naked parade of Indian Army's human rights record in Kashmir."