Army likely to take action against Major Leetul Gogoi in Kashmiri woman case

Nearly two months after Major Leetul Gogoi was detained from a Srinagar hotel along with a local woman, the army is likely to take disciplinary action against the officer as a Court of Inquiry (COI) has found him guilty of violating rules, according to sources close to the development.

As per the findings of the COI, indicted Major Gogoi is guilty on at least two counts - being away from the place of duty without permission and involvement with a local woman in a counter-insurgency zone.

The COI was conducted by a brigadier, which took the testimonies of Major Gogoi, other Army officers concerned besides checking documents dealing with the valley woman case.

The findings of the probe have been studied before being processed and submitted to the XV Corps as per the military law.

Read | 'Exemplary punishment' to major Gogoi if found guilty, says Army chief Bipin Rawat

On May 23, trouble found Major Gogoi, a Kashmiri woman and another army jawan named Sameer Ahmed following an altercation at the Hotel Grand Mamta, leading the hotel management to call the police.

According to locals, both Gogoi and the Kashmiri woman were denied accommodation in the Srinagar hotel, which enraged Gogoi. Post that the army major got engaged in a heated exchange of words, which later turned into a scuffle.

Following the scuffle, hotel staffs beat up Gogoi and decided to hand him over to police.

On being asked why they were denied entry, the front-office executive at the hotel said, "A local girl barely 16 or 17 years of age was with a non-local man in his mid-40s. I could sense that something was wrong, therefore I denied them entry".

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In the wake of this valley woman incident, Army chief general Bipin Rawat had promised exemplary punishment if Gogoi is found guilty.

"If anyone in the 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 the punishment will be such that it will set an example," Rawat said.