Army Chief Bipin Rawat breaks silence on Major Gogoi row, says will punish, if found guilty
Army Chief Bipin Rawat on Friday said exemplary punishment would be given to Major Leetul Gogoi if he was found guilty of "any offence".
On May 23, Gogoi was briefly detained by police in Srinagar after an altercation when he was allegedly trying to enter a hotel with an 18-year-old woman, according to a police official.
"If any officer of the Indian army is found guilty of any offence, we will take strictest possible action," Rawat told reporters at Pahalgham while on a visit to the Army Goodwill School.
"If Major Gogoi has done something wrong, I assure you that he will be awarded punishment at the earliest...the punishment will set an example," the army chief said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has initiated an inquiry into the incident involving Gogoi, whose decision to tie a civilian to the bonnet of his vehicle in Kashmir last year sparked a row.
Earlier, Major Gogoi of 53 Rashtriya Riffles (RR) was detained by the police along with the girl and accomplice after the hotel authorities reported the matter to the cops. The police later handed him over to his unit after questioning. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, SP Pani has ordered a high-level probe by Superintendent of Police, North City, to unravel the truth.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when Major Gogoi, who had booked the hotel online, arrived at Hotel Grand Mamta to check in.
“We asked him to show the identity card which he dutifully did. Later we asked the identity of the second person and he showed the identity card of a local girl. We objected because we have a policy of not giving room to locals. Therefore, we denied him the room”, said Manzoor Ahmad of Hotel Grand Mamta.
Later, he walked to the lobby where he had an argument with the guest relationship manager. “He sat in the lobby and started surfing on the mobile. He later argued with guest relations manager. When he walked out, he told his driver that the room has been denied. The driver was a well-built guy and he started arguing and altercation ensued. We immediately called up the police who took them along”, said Manzoor.
Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi of 53 RR had shot to fame after he tied 26-year-old Kashmiri artisan Farooq Ahmad Dar with the bonnet of his jeep at Utligam before parading him in different villages on April 9, 2017. While Major Gogoi defended his actions saying he saved lives and dubbed "Dar as ring leader who instigated the stone pelting mob", the incident had sparked massive anger and outrage across Kashmir. Major Gogoi was later awarded the Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Card for his sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations.
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