Srinagar, August 27: A court of enquiry has held Major Leetul Gogoi guilty, and court-martial has been ordered against him in connection with the incident happened on May 23 in which he was detained by police in a hotel at Srinagar after an altercation with the hotel staff as they did not allow a girl to meet him.  The Army has ordered disciplinary action against Major Gogoi. The court of enquiry held him accountable for fraternising with a local despite being instructed against it and also being away from the place of duty in an operational area.

According to Times Now report, during the enquiry in his defence Major Gogoi presented an argument that the girl with whom he was to meet was a ‘source’ and he went to the guest house to collect information. However, his argument was rejected on the basis that he did inform his senior about his move and also he should not have gone alone without hiding his identity.

The incident took place on May 23, when the altercation broke out between the major-rank officer and the manager of Hotel Grand Mamata in Srinagar as the latter did not allow the girl to meet the major in his room. Another army personnel Sameer Ahmed Malla accompanied the girl. Following the incident, the Jammu and Kashmir police detained the Major, Malla and the girl. After initial questioning, the Major and his friend was allowed to join their respective regiments, while the girl was handed over to her maternal uncle.

Initially girl was reported to be minor, however, later the police told a local court that the girl is 19 years old. The police also informed the court that she had gone to meet the officer on her own free will. The police also attached the school records of the teenager with the report submitted in the court mentioning her age. 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 reports, she had also told the magistrate that she spoke to Sameer Malla and Major Gogoi over the phone.

According to an Indian Express' report, the girl's mother said that the officer raided their home twice and on both times, he was accompanied by Malla. She also alleged that Major Gogoi had warned them not to tell anyone about the raid.

After the incident Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat had promised “exemplary punishment” for Major Gogoi if he was found guilty of violating rules. 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 Rawat had awarded him a commendation card for this move.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 27, 2018 02:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).