J&K police probing ‘incident involving’ Major Gogoi & a ‘girl’

Srinagar: J&K Police has initiated a probe into an incident at Hotel Grand Mamta, on Kohnakhan Road in Srinagar, allegedly involving Major Leetul Gogoi and a ‘local girl’. Major Gogoi had captured headlines last year after driving through streets with a citizen tied to the bonnet of his jeep.

Gogoi was taken to the police station on Wednesday morning after an altercation with locals, which also involved his local driver Sameer. It started after he allegedly ‘tried to check’ into a hotel with a ‘girl’ from Budgam. The police has appointed Srinagar north zone SP Sajad Shah to probe the incident and Gogoi has been sent back to his camp in Budgam.

“We have appointed an officer for the probe and the case will be dealt within the ambit of law,” inspector general of police SP Pani told ET. The police is also trying to ascertain whether the local was a minor or a woman. In an official statement, the J&K police said that the particulars of Wednesday’s incident were being ascertained but did not confirm whether a formal complaint has been registered. “It was learnt that the woman had come to meet an Army officer. The identity and particulars of the Army officer has been collected by the police as well,” read the statement. Army sources maintained that no police FIR has been registered and only a police statement has been recorded. The police statement does not mention the name of the officer or the ‘girl’. The Army will only investigate the case if the police approaches it.

Gogoi allegedly arrived at the hotel in civilian clothes along with the ‘girl’ on Wednesday morning, claiming to be on a business tour. The hotel staff said he was denied entry as he was accompanied by a local and rooms are not allotted to locals in J&K for security reasons.

“He booked a room for two from an online portal at around 8:30 am and requested a pickup from the airport. We were planning to arrange a cab when he showed up at the front desk at around 10:15 am along with the girl,” said Manzoor Ahmed, one of the owners of the hotel. When asked to submit his identity documents, Major Gogoi is said to have produced a nonmilitary identity card and aadhaar card of the ‘girl’, where her address in Budgam was mentioned. The hotel staff informed him of the rules and cancelled the booking.

“I had no idea who he was but grew suspicious after seeing a local girl. He said they were friends, but the girl was very young and oblivious to what was happening. He said he met her at Narbal and had travelled from Pahalgam. His driver said they had come from the airport. Conflicting claims made us suspicious,” said Manzoor. Hotel staff said that Gogoi tried to avoid a confrontation. Eyewitnesses said Gogoi left the reception along with the ‘girl’ after a brief argument but Sameer created a commotion that led to a physical brawl involving Gogoi and some locals. Following the incident, the police took away the trio and recorded statements.