Instructor Commander Abdur Rouf, one of the accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, has been retired as a naval instructor instead of being discharged.

According to a press release yesterday, the President has approved on October 5 a Ministry of Defence proposal to retire him from service. His dis-‘ missal order was given on September 26. 1978.

A close associate of Banga-bandhu and a freedom fighter, Abdur Rouf was the Commanding Officer of BNS Issa Khan in 1975. He was falsely accused by the then military government of failing to control a mutiny in November 1975 in Chittagong naval base, the release said.

Commander Rouf expressed his gratitude to the government, defence ministry and naval authorities and called for restoring the freedom fighters and political activists who were subjected to "repressions" due to political reasons after the 1975 political changeover.