‘Met Major Leetul Gogoi of own free will’ woman tells magistrate; army has ordered court of inquiry against him.
New Delhi: The initial probe by the Jammu and Kashmir police has failed to establish any case against Major Leetul Gogoi since the woman he was found with in a Srinagar hotel is an adult, ThePrint has learnt.
Major Gogoi — the officer at the centre of the human-shield controversy last year — was briefly detained by the J&K police following an altercation when he allegedly tried to enter a Srinagar hotel with the woman three days ago.
The woman told a magistrate that she had gone to meet the army officer “out of her own free will”. The Army has already ordered a formal court of inquiry into the matter.
“We don’t have a legal case as the girl is a major (adult) and she gave a statement that she was traveling with the Army major out of her own will,” a senior police officer told ThePrint. “We don’t have authority to take any action against the major for violating the SOP. Disciplinary action can only be taken by the Army.”
The police, however, have not closed the case as yet and are trying to verify the authenticity of the woman’s assertion.
In her recorded statement the woman said she had made a plan to meet Major Gogoi and his driver, Sameer Malla, at Magam in central Kashmir’s Budgam.
After she met them they came to Srinagar.
The Chief Judicial Magistrate has directed the police to file a status report on their investigation, as the police are yet to file an FIR in the matter.
The woman said that she had met Gogoi on Facebook. She also alleged that Gogoi interacted with her through a fake profile, under the guise of Ubaid Irfan, but she later learnt that he was an Army officer.
She told the magistrate that she was travelling with Gogoi from Budgam to Srinagar “out of her own free will”.
After finding that he was with a Kashmiri woman, the hotel staff did not allow him to check in, and an altercation followed. The hotel staff later called the police who took the woman, the Major and his driver to the police station.
The statement of the hotel manager was also recorded. He has said that Gogoi and the woman came to the hotel together.
Army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat had Friday said exemplary punishment would be given to Gogoi if he was found guilty of “any offence”.