The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday submitted to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Srinagar, a report on the case involving the brief detention of Major Leetul Gogoi and a local girl at a city hotel on May 23.
Meanwhile, two witnesses have deposed and recorded statements before the Court of Inquiry panel, which was ordered by the Army to probe the conduct of Major Gogoi in the hotel fracas.
In the two-page report, supported by the statement made by the girl before a Magistrate and the school certificate which mentions the year of birth of the girl as 1998, the J&K Police have stated that Major Gogoi and the jawan, Sameer Ahmad Malla, accompanying him were handed over to their Army unit as neither the girl in question nor the hotel management, which initially had called the police, have registered any compliant in the matter.
Though the police in its report to the court have not stated what Major Gogoi said when he was briefly detained, a police officer revealed that he had told the investigators that he “had booked the hotel and came to Srinagar to meet his friend (the Budgam girl)”. It was in no way a “source meeting” as was earlier reported, the officer said.
Though Major Gogoi had already booked the room online, the report states that when the hotel management refused to check in the Army officer on seeing a local Kashmiri girl with him, it was at this juncture that Sameer entered into an altercation with the hotel management.
In her statement to the Magistrate, as exclusively reported by Kashmir Post, which is part of the police report, the girl stated that before coming to Srinagar, she had spoken on telephone with Major Gogoi and Sameer, telling them she would be waiting at Magam in Budgam to be picked up by them. In a parallel investigation, a civilian witness and a policeman on Wednesday deposed before the two-member Court of Inquiry panel set up by the Army authorities to probe the conduct of Major Gogoi in the hotel fracas.
The Court of Inquiry against the Major Gogoi was ordered on May 25 shortly after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had assured that “exemplary punishment” would be given to the officer if he was found guilty.
“Today, a civilian witness deposed and recorded statement before the CoI panel. A police witness also deposed in the matter,” a source said, adding that the CoI may also record the version of the girl to take the investigation to its logical end. As the CoI is underway, Major Gogoi, who was posted with 53 Rashtriya Rifles at Beerwah, has been attached.
Civilian, cop record statements
A civilian witness and a policeman on Wednesday deposed before the two-member Court of Inquiry panel set up by the Army authorities to probe the conduct of Major Gogoi in the hotel fracas.
The CoI may also record the version of the girl to take the probe to its logical end. As the CoI is underway, Major Gogoi, who was posted with 53 Rashtriya Rifles at Beerwah, has been attached.
