Srinagar, May 30: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday told a local court that the girl who was detained along with Major Leetul Gogoi last week is 19 years old. The police also informed the court that she had gone to meet the officer on her own free will. According to the police, neither the woman nor the hotel owner lodged any formal complaint against Major Gogoi.

Station House Officer, Khanyar submitted a report in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Srinagar. In the report, the police said that girl in her statement said that she had gone with the Army Major on her own choice and nobody pressurised her. On Saturday, the CJM had sought the status report of the investigation of the entire incident on human rights activist Ahsan Untoo's petition. Untoo filed a petition in the court alleging that police had tried to suppress the case. The girl was initially suspected to be a minor.

The police also attached the school records of the teenager with the report submitted in the court mentioning her age. Police also informed the court that the girl confessed that she met the army officer on Facebook and it was only a month ago she came to know that he was in the army. According to the report, she had also told the magistrate that she spoke to Sameer Malla and Major Gogoi over the phone. The girl said that she met them at Magam on the day they got into an altercation at the hotel. Sameer Malla is the same guy who had accompanied the girl to Hotel Grand Mamta in Budgam to meet Major Gogoi. Malla is a soldier in Territorial Army.

Last week Army chief General Bipin Rawat had promised “exemplary punishment” for Major Gogoi if he was found guilty of violating rules. A court of inquiry against the officer by the army.

On May 23, Major Gogoi, Sameer Ahmed Malla and the girl detained by Jammu and Kashmir Police following an altercation at the Hotel Grand Mamta after the staff refused to let her in. After questioning Major Gogoi and Malla was handed over to their unit, while the girl was handed over to her maternal uncle.

Major Gogoi shot to fame last year after tying a local Kashmiri Farooq Ahmed Dar to a bonnet of his vehicle in Budgam district in an attempt to prevent stone-pelters from targeting his convoy. General Bipin Rawat had awarded Gogoi a commendation card for the move.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 30, 2018 11:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).