SRINAGAR – Major Leetul Gogoi, the army man, who tied a civilian to his jeep as a human shield, was on Wednesday arrested by police in relation to an incident of being present with a teenage girl at a Srinagar hotel.
Locals claimed that they caught the Major in Mamta hotel Dalgate along with the teenage girl in a compromising position, reports said.
As per a statement issued by the police, an altercation broke out between the three and the staff of the Hotel Grand Mamta. Major Gogoi, Sameer, and the woman were driven to Khanyar Police Station.
A witness said the Army officer had been chased by the men, believed to be from Kawoosa area of Budgam district, and that the hotel staff called the police for fear that Gogoi could be attacked.
“IGP Kashmir has ordered a detailed enquiry into this matter which will be held by Superintendent of Police (City), North. As of now, it doesn’t constitute a crime but we are investigating. If a crime is established, we will definitely file an FIR”, SSP Parray said.
The police, however, have neither denied nor confirmed the identity of the Major yet.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone, S. P. Pani, while speaking to The Kashmir Walla said, “We have ordered a probe, headed by SP North, who will submit a report. If it is a cognizable offence, action will be taken as per the law. It is too early to comment.”
On social media, several snippets from the developing story came out, as Shuja Ul Haq, a journalist with the India Today, tweeted:
https://twitter.com/ShujaUH/status/999221216312373249
As per the hotel booking document, the Major had booked a deluxe room, mentioning, “I’m travelling for business and I may be using a business credit card.”
“Subsequently, it was learned that the woman had come to meet an army officer. The identity and the particulars of the army officer have been collected by the police as well.” tweeted, Mufti Islah, a correspondent at CNN News 18.
https://twitter.com/islahmufti/status/999213322762268673
Police sources said that Major Gogoi was handed over to his unit after recording his statement at the police station Khanyar.
Sources also added that the documents of the girl show her date of birth as born in 1999 but the documents will be verified by the police to find out if she is a minor or adult.
Major Gogoi made headlines in April 2017 when he tied Farooq Ahmed Dar, a Kashmiri shawl-weaver, to the front of his jeep in Budgam, calling it an against stone-pelters.
At the time, the Army had defended Major Gogoi’s action, claiming that he had done this act in “good faith” to save lives of many soldiers and polling staff from violent crowds of stone-pelters in Utligam village of Beerwah.
