The Indian Army on Friday ordered a court of inquiry against Major Leetul Gogoi, who was detained on May 23 after an altercation at a hotel in Srinagar. “The future course of action would be decided based on the findings of the investigation, an unidentified official said according to the Hindustan Times.
A court of inquiry is a tribunal instituted to investigate a matter and decide if the accused should be subjected to a court martial.
Army Chief Bipin Rawat had earlier on Friday said that Gogoi would be punished if found guilty of any wrongdoing. Gogoi had been at the centre of a controversy in April 2017 when he gave orders for a civilian to be tied to the bonnet of a vehicle as a human shield during a bye-election to discourage protestors from throwing stones at security personnel.
“If anyone in the Indian Army, at any rank, does any wrong and it comes to our notice then strictest action will be taken,” Rawat told reporters. “If Major Gogoi has done something wrong then I can say that he will be given due punishment and the punishment will be such that it will set an example.”
A police statement had said Gogoi and two others were taken to the Khanyar police station in Srinagar after officials received a call from Hotel Grand Mamta in Srinagar at 11 am about an altercation that had taken place.
“Accordingly, a police party was deputed to the hotel, and it surfaced that a woman [name withheld] and person namely Sameer Ahmed of Budgam had come to see some person,” the statement said. “But the hotel receptions did not allow them to meet the person. Meanwhile, the police party reached the spot and got all the persons to the police station.”
The statement added: “Subsequently, it was learnt that the woman had come to meet an Army officer. The identity and particulars of the Army officer has been collected by the police as well. The officials were handed over to their unit after due recording of their statements. The statement of woman is also being recorded for probing the matter.”
North Srinagar’s Superintendent of Police Sajad Ahmad Shah had declined to name the officer the two had come to meet, but the hotel told the Hindustan Times that the room the man and the woman, reported to be a minor, wanted to go to was booked online for Leetul Gogoi. “What we know is that a man and a woman had come to meet him,” Shah was quoted as saying. “The hotel staff did not allow them, leading to an altercation.”
Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Swayam Prakash Pani ordered an investigation into the matter and asked for a report to be submitted at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the mother of the girl who was at the Srinagar hotel told The Indian Express that Gogoi and Sameer Ahmed had raided their house at night twice in the past.
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