The Indian army initiated a court of inquiry against Major Gogoi yesterday after he was briefly detained by Jammu & Kashmir police for being found in the company of a local woman at a Srinagar hotel.
Major Leetul Gogoi, who had attracted controversy and backlash in 2017 for tying up a local youth in front of his jeep to evade violent protestors, had been detained by the police on Wednesday after he had a verbal altercation with the owner of a hotel he had been trying to go to.
Gogoi was said to have been angry with the owner of that hotel because he did not allow him to book a room as he was in the company of a local woman and a member of the Territorial Army. Their altercation resulted into the police detaining Major Gogoi and the woman with him.
Police officials had been trying to establish whether the woman involved was a minor and was brought to the hotel by deceit. The woman, however, has rejected these claims while deposing before a magistrate, saying that she came there on her own accord and that she knows Major Gogoi.
The woman informed the magistrate in her statement that Major Gogoi is a Facebook friend of hers and she has met him before. In response to questions of her age, she produced her Aadhar card to the police to prove that she was born in 1999 and has attained majority.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat, who is presently in Srinagar as well, reacted to this incident by saying that a thorough investigation will be carried out and if Major Gogoi is found guilty of committing any offence, he will be awarded exemplary punishment in order to set an example for all soldiers.