Army denies clean chit to officer who tied youth to vehicle

Srinagar, May 15 (IANS) The Indian Army on Monday denied that the court of inquiry (COI) had given a clean chit to an officer who had tied a local youth in front of a vehicle last month to avoid attack from stone-pelters.

In the wake of media reports saying that the COI had exonerated and even appreciated Major Nitin Gogoi for his action on April 9, Defence Ministry spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said that proceedings were still on.

"The Court of Inquiry concerned with the incident wherein a civilian was tied to an Army jeep is still incomplete.

"Reports in some sections of the media of the army Major being given a clean chit are speculative," he said.

Earlier reports had said that Gogoi, who had reportedly tied a youth to the bonnet of a jeep as a 'human shield' on April 9 to avoid attack from stone pelters in Badgam, had been given a clean chit and the COI had even appreciated his attempt to avoid casualties.

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