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Army Major at centre of Kashmir human shield row detained after clash over woman at hotel

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The altercation took place after the Srinagar hotel manager refused to allow the woman to meet Major Leetul Gogoi who had booked a room there, police said.

New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir police Wednesday briefly detained Major Leetul Gogoi, who was at the centre of the human shield controversy in the Kashmir Valley last year, following an altercation at a hotel in Srinagar’s tourist hub of Dal Gate.

A police spokesperson said that the police station at Khanyar received a call from Hotel Grand Mamta around 11 am that an altercation had taken place on its premises.

“It was learnt that a woman had come to meet the Army officer. The identity and particulars of the officer have been collected by police. The officer was handed over to his unit after his statement was recorded,” the police spokesperson said.

The woman’s statement has also been recorded by police.

The defence spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment from ThePrint. However, Army sources confirmed the incident and said the Army would go by the police investigation in the case. The Army will take action as per its rules after the police investigation, the sources said.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir zone), Swayam Prakash Pani, told ThePrint the J&K police had ordered a probe into the case.

Police sources said the altercation was triggered when the hotel manager refused to allow the woman, who was accompanied by a man, into the room that Gogoi had already checked into. According to the hotel staff, they do not allow local visitors into the hotel. The staff claimed that the room had been booked in the officer’s name for 23 May.

Sources said that a police party deputed to the hotel found that the woman and a man, identified as Sameer from Budgam, had come to the hotel.

On 9 April last year, Gogoi had tied a local man to the front of an Army vehicle to deter stone throwing protesters during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election. The incident had triggered a huge public outcry, prompting the Army to conduct a probe.

Gogoi was later honoured with the Army chief’s ‘Commendation Card’ for “sustained efforts” in counter-insurgency operations.

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