India
Army chief: Major Gogoi will be punished if he's guilty
Bipin Rawat, the Indian Army Chief, said strict punishment will be given to Major Leetul Gogoi if he is found guilty in the case where he was detained with a woman and a local man on Wednesday from Srinagar. Rawat had booked a room at Grand Mamta Hotel and had an altercation with staff when they didn't allow a woman to visit his room.
Here's what General Bipin Rawat said
"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 Rawat said.
Major Gogoi detained by police, later released
Major Gogoi was detained by the police and later sent to his unit- the Rashtriya Rifles. The row erupted when the hotel staff, who thought the girl was a minor, didn't allow her to go to Major Gogoi's room, along with the man. Hotel owner Manzoor Ahmed said, "According to our hotel policy we don't provide rooms to local unmarried couples."
Police explained why was Major Gogoi detained
"It surfaced that a woman and a man, Sameer Ahmed of Budgam, had come to see some person in the hotel. The hotel reception didn't allow them to meet the person. All three were brought to police station," a police spokesman said after the incident.
Woman's mother claimed Major Gogoi 'raided' their house
According to a report in Indian Express, the woman's mother claimed Major Gogoi raided their residence (in a Budgam village) twice at night. She said Sameer Ahmed was also present on both the occasions. "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," she said.
Investigation revealed woman went to hotel willingly
The woman's mother claimed her daughter was 17, a minor, but police investigation revealed otherwise. However, a senior police officer said the woman was above 18 and went to the hotel willingly. Gogoi, gained media attention when he used a civilian as a human-shield, last year. He tied man to his jeep and traveled across the state to allegedly prevent stone-pelters from attacking his convoy.
