Major Leetul Gogoi was detained in May after a row at a Srinagar hotel.
Highlights
- Major Leetul Gogoi was detained at Srinagar hotel in May
- He was allegedly trying to check in with an 18-year-old woman
- Army court has held him guilty of "fraternising with a local"
The army has ordered disciplinary action against Major Leetul Gogoi, who was detained by the police in Srinagar after a row in a hotel involving a Kashmiri woman.
An army court of inquiry has held Major Gogoi guilty of "fraternising with a local in spite of instructions to the contrary and being away from the place of duty while in operational area."
Major Gogoi was detained on May 23 after a fight with the staff of a Srinagar hotel where he was allegedly trying to check in with an 18-year-old woman. According to reports, a room had been booked online for him at the hotel.
A report by news agency Press Trust of India said the army officer, along with his driver and a woman had approached the front desk to check in but was told that he could not go to his room with the woman because she was a local resident. The officer told the police he had come for a "source meeting".
After the incident in May, Army Chief Bipin Rawat had promised "strictest action" if anyone in the army did any wrong.
"If anyone in the Indian Army, at any rank, does any wrong and it comes to our notice, then 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," said the Army Chief on a visit to Srinagar.
Major Gogoi had been backed by the army amid a major row last year when he tied a Kashmiri man to his jeep as a "human shield" during by-polls. According to the army, he had tied Farooq Ahmed Dar to his jeep to ensure that crowds don't throw stones at polling staff he was escorting to safety.