The Supreme Court today gave a clean chit to the Indian Army facing allegations of killing one Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Regoo, an advocate who was suspected to be a Pakistan trained militant and an ex-divisional commander of Albarq terrorist group.
A bench comprising Justices B P Singh and Harjit Singh Bedi dismissed the petition of Masooda Parveen, widow of the deceased, who was allegedly killed on February 3, 1998 during an interrogation at Lathapora Army camp in Kashmir.
According to the petitioner, the deceased who was also doing business in the valley, had suffered losses and some of the creditors took help from local militants for recovery of their dues.
As a result of this pressure, Regoo shifted from his village
Chandhara to Sopore and remained in hiding for two years before
returning in 1994 when there was a decline in militant activities.
However, some militants who were working along with Army got
him arrested on October 6, 1994, alleging that he was a Pakistan
trained millitant. He remained in custody for three months.
Again on February 1, 1998 he was taken into custody by the unit
of the Army (17 Jat) and allegedly died due to torture at the Army
camp. Explosives were placed on his body and then detonated to
camouflage the murder.