SRINAGAR Indian Army Major Leetul Gogoi who tied a youth to the bonnet of his jeep as a human shield in Badgam district on April 09 last year and was later commended by the Indian army chief, is back in news.
On Wednesday he was caught by people with a minor girl at a local hotel here and amid outcry, police detained him, took him to police station where he was ultimately handed over to his army unit.
The army officer had booked a room through an online portal for two persons at the Grand Mamta hotel at Dalgate, tourist hub, for one night.
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The staff of the hotel got suspicious after Gogoi arrived at the reception with a local girl of “around 16-years-of-age” on Wednesday morning. The hotel follows a policy not to give its facility to any Kashmiri be it single or a couple or a family. Gogoi was accompanied by a youth from Budgam where he is posted.
“When we refused to enter the girl (name withheld) in our registry, Gogoi was infuriated,” one of the hotel staff members said.
Following the altercation, they said, the youth accompanying them came inside the hotel and started shouting at the staff and even threatened us of dire consequences, leading to a scuffle.
The commotion attracted the attention of people who came inside the hotel. On finding Major Gogoi, the people beat him up, an eyewitness said. The hotel staff immediately rang up Police and a party of from nearby Khanyar Police station reached the spot and took all the accused including the Major.
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Owner of the hotel Manzoor Ahmad told media personnel who arrived the spot soon after the incident: As the duo approached the reception counter, the man identified himself as Leetul Gogoi from Assam. He, in fact, showed his driving license from Assam (instead of his Indian military) identity card. When our staff enquired about the girl who looked young and more so a Kashmiri, Gogoi had no answer. Feeling suspicious our staff denied him the room.
We pick guests, who book such rooms, from Airport on our own but this person along with the young local girl came aboard an Alto K10 vehicle, he said. Gogoi had booked a deluxe room with AC facility.
They (Gogoi and girl) were nervous while facing these questions. The guy who had dropped them in the hotel was still present in the hotel parking in his vehicle (JK0E/2088). The man who had dropped them at our hotel is someone called Sameer Malla of Budgam. He was furious after we declined to offer room to Gogoi and the girl. He created a scene there and threatened hotel staff of dire consequences. Some locals tried to enter into the hotel after Malla raised hue and cry, the hotel owner said.
CCTV footage of the hotel, a copy of which lies with the Kashmir Observer, shows Major Leetul Gogoi coming to the reception of the hotel and leaving.
The news of the incident involving Major Gogoi went viral on social media and soon after police came out with a brief hand-out admitting an Indian military officer was detained ad later let off from the police station Khanyar. The police statement did not identify the officer or the girl.
The police maintained that age of the girl was being verified to ascertain whether she was a minor or a major.
Later, the police initiated a probe into the incident to be conducted by SP North Srinagar city.
“In reference to the press release issued by District Police Srinagar which reported about the incident at the Hotel Grand Mamta today, IGP Kashmir Zone has ordered a probe to be conducted by the SP North zone Srinagar in this incident within the ambit of law,” police said in a second brief statement.
The Srinagar based 15 corps of Indian army, as per reports, said that army was investigating the case as “Major Gogoi was supposedly on duty when he was actually found roaming with the girl”. However, despite repeated calls, PRO Army Rajesh Kalia could not be contacted by Kashmir Observer.
Major Gogoi had tied Farooq Ahmad Dar to his jeep and paraded him through at least 16 villages of Budgam when Srinagar Lok Sabha went to ballot and witnessed massive bloodshed against the polls. The act of Gogoi invited him world-wide shame but he was awarded for his act by the military with a medal.
POLICE VERSION
At 1100 Hours, Police Station Khanyar received a call from Hotel Grand Mamta that an altercation has taken place at the hotel, a police spokesman said.
Accordingly, he said, a police party was deputed to the hotel, and it surfaced that a one woman (name withheld) and person namely Sameer Ahmed of Budgam had come to see some person. But the hotel receptions did not allow them to meet the person. Meanwhile, Police party reached the spot and got all the persons to the Police Station.
Subsequently, he said, it was learnt that the woman had come to meet an Army officer. The identity and particulars of the Army officer have been collected by the Police as well. The officials were handed over to their unit after due recording their statements. The statement of the woman is also being recorded for probing the matter.
Despite repeated phone calls, PRO Army Rajesh Kalia didn’t receive the phone.
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