Lt Gen (retd) H S Panag, former GOC-in-C, Northern Command, criticised the move saying Gogoi's action was unbecoming of the traditions followed by the Indian Army. "IA (Indian Army) traditions, ethos, rules & regs swept away by the 'mood of the nation'! Gogoi was yesterday honoured with army chief's commendation card for his "sustained efforts in counter- insurgency operations". Col Anil Kaul (retd), who served in the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka, said Gogoi deserved more than a commendation card because of his "out of the box thinking". Breaking his silence today, Gogoi said about 1200 stone- pelters had surrounded a small group of security personnel at a polling booth in Utligam village of Budgam district on April 9.

Source: dna May 23, 2017 18:33 UTC