Will Take Strict Action If Found Guilty: Army Chief on Major Gogoi

Major Gogoi, who had first courted controversy in the ‘human shield’ incident, was detained in Srinagar.

Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi of the Rashtriya Rifles 53rd battalion.

(Photo: ANI) 

The Indian Army, on Friday, 25 May, ordered a court of inquiry against Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi, who was detained by police earlier this week following an altercation that broke out after he allegedly tried to enter a hotel with an 19-year-old woman, officials said.

The future course of action will be decided based on the findings of the probe, the officials said. The decision to order a court of inquiry came shortly after Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat said in Pahalgam that exemplary punishment would be given to Gogoi if he was found guilty "any offence".

If anyone in the Indian Army, at any rank, does any wrong, and it comes to our notice, then the 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.

General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Army Staff

Major Gogoi of the Rashtriya Rifles 53rd Battalion was briefly detained by the police in Srinagar on Wednesday, 23 May.

Gogoi, who is posted in Budgam district, was picked up from a hotel in the area after residents alleged he was seen in a “compromising position” with a young woman. Well-placed sources told The Quint said that Gogoi, his driver Sameer, and a 19-year-old Kashmiri woman were picked up from Grand Mamta Hotel in the Dalgate area at around 11 am on 23 May, after a group of men objected to the presence of an army officer with a young woman in the hotel.

Gogoi Raided Our House at Night Twice in the Past: Mother of the Woman

The mother of the woman has alleged that Gogoi had “raided” their house at night on two occasions in the past, reported The Indian Express.

“He raided our house twice. On one occasion, I fainted when I saw the Army. On both occasions, he (Gogoi) was accompanied by Sameer. He warned us not to tell anyone about the raid.

Mother of the 19-year-old woman to The Indian Express

Notably, Major Gogoi had first courted a nationwide controversy in April 2017 when he used a civilian as a ‘human shield.’

(This is a developing story and will be updated)