Protester tied to army Jeep 'for defence' In Kashmir

A young man is tied to an army jeep that moves in a convoy in a widely-shared video from Kashmir that has sparked anger, reports NDTV.

The man was a protester who was used as a shield against his stone-throwing comrades on the day of the violence-hit Srinagar by-election, the army claims.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was among the many Twitter users who reacted with outrage at the video, in which the army is heard announcing "this is how stone throwers will be dealt with".

"This young man was TIED to the front of an army jeep to make sure no stones were thrown at the jeep? This is just so shocking!," Omar Abdullah tweeted.

Many videos have emerged on social media since April 9, when by-polls were held for the Srinagar parliamentary constituency.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has sought a report from the police on the videos. Home Minister Rajnath Singh too said he will look into this incident.

Security sources say this video was filmed when polling officers faced a mob of stone-throwers.

"They would have been lynched by 400 people," the sources said, saying that the man tied to the fender of the jeep acted as a shield and was not harmed.

An Army Quick Reaction Team was called in to help the group. As the crowd reportedly swelled ominously in size, a group of 15 army men led by a young officer appeared to be hopelessly outnumbered, the sources told NDTV.

"They were sure to be lynched there since the crowd size increased and opening fire would have resulted in a blood bath. To defend themselves, the Company Commander caught hold of a protestor and tied him to his jeep," sources said.

The army and polling officers reportedly then left the area safely without any more stone throwing and the protester was handed over to the police.

Eight people died and nearly 100 were injured in unprecedented violence during the Srinagar by-polls held in the shadow of threats and a boycott call by separatists.