Major Leetul Gogoi was questioned at a police station following a scuffle with hotel staff, who refused to let the woman inside. The officer was later allowed to leave.
The Indian Army Friday ordered a court of inquiry against Major Leetul Gogoi following a scuffle with hotel staff in Srinagar. “Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry and appropriate action will be taken after the inquiry is finalised,” a statement issued by the Army said.
Army sources, however, told The Indian Express that the convening order for the court of inquiry had not yet been signed. The terms of reference and date of submission, therefore, were unknown. More details are awaited.
Earlier in the day, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said that exemplary punishment would be given to Major Gogoi if he was found guilty of any offence. “If anyone in Indian Army, at any rank, does any wrong and it comes to our notice then strictest action will be taken. If Major Gogoi has done something wrong then I can say that he will be given due punishment and it will be such that it will set an example,” Rawat said.
Major Gogoi Wednesday had arrived at a Srinagar hotel with a young woman and a man named Sameer Ahmed. The staff refused to let the woman inside, claiming she was a resident of the area, over which an altercation erupted. The police arrived and questioned all three at a police station. They were later allowed to leave and Gogoi was handed over to his unit.
IGP (Kashmir) S P Pani has already ordered a probe into the incident and appointed SP North City Sajad Ahmad Shah as the inquiry officer. “We are conducting a parallel detailed inquiry. The story until now is that there was a room booked in the name of Leetul Gogoi. A couple came to the hotel but were not allowed inside. They (hotel staff) had said they cannot allow a local girl in the hotel,” Shah had told The Indian Express.