Why Police Order Probe Into Major Gogoi Hotel Incident

Jammu and Kashmir Police today ordered a probe into a potentially controversial incident in which an army major, who was spotted with a local 'girl' in a hotel here, and his local assistant were caught having an altercation with the hotel staff.

The incident created a flutter in the local press and social media circles way beyond the Valley because of one reason: the officer was identified as Major Leetul Gogoi.

Maj Gogoi was the same officer who had hit the headlines last year with an image that went viral and caused heated and angry debates. This was after he tied a local resident of Budgam district, Farooq Ahmad Dar, to the bonnet of his jeep as a human shield in Budgam district.

After today's incident, the major and his accomplice were detained and later handed over to the army. The police have not filed an FIR. The police said the officer was taken to the police station where he was handed over to his unit. “There was a proper handover," said an official.

Confirming that a probe has been ordered, IGP Kashmir S.P. Pani told Outlook that it will be conducted by the Superintendent of Police, North Srinagar.

A senior police official, pleading anonymity, said the police on Wednesday morning rushed to the hotel after it was called and informed about the altercation. “We didn’t have any information about the presence of major,” he said.

The official clarified two important points. “One, the girl is a major. And two, they (the officer and the girl) had not entered the hotel room. It all happened at the reception of the hotel”, the official said.

This was in response to versions that had been swirling around the local press ever since word got out: it was alleged then that the girl was a minor and that the two had been "caught in a compromising position". This clarification effectively scotches that.

“What the circumstances were, how it happened, how they came to be at the Srinagar hotel, all these things need to be probed,” the official said, adding that the police have taken all records from the major before handing him over to his unit.

The formalities of handover were cleanly carried out, he said. "Tomorrow they cannot say the officer was not handed over,” he added.

“The police have taken the statement of the girl in the presence of the executive magistrate so that if tomorrow something more comes to the fore, the police will go by her statement,” the official said.

However, police sources say they have not registered any FIR: they will do so only if the probe implicates anyone. Once the probe is over, the police will write a detailed report to the army showing “when the major was detained, when his details were taken, and also whether he had any plausible explanation about visiting the hotel.”

The police sources said the Commanding Officer of the unit concerned would also be asked whether the officer was permitted to visit the hotel and with what authorisation.

The police also fears for the safety of the girl, who, according to the police, “is from a very poor family and has implicated none in the case.” The police of course will protect her identity.

The hotel owner, Ejaz Ahmad, speaking to Outlook, said: “One person by the name of Leetul Gogoi had made an online booking for the hotel at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.” Ahmad described the scenario as he saw it, from which the major seems to have arrived with the girl, or around the same time.

"As usual, I came to the hotel at 9:30 a.m. and I saw the booking. Our reservation manager had called him to seek details so that he could be picked up from the airport, as is the norm. But he didn’t respond. Then finally he called and asked for early check-in. I said no issues," Ahmad said.

“But after 15 minutes, he called again and said he would reach the hotel within 15 minutes. He came to hotel at 10:30 a.m. He went to the reception desk. They gave him papers and asked him to fill up the details, as is normal," said Ahmad.

"At the same time, our manager asked him to show his identity card. He gave instead a driving licence, of Assam. The manager sought the identity card of the girl. Her card was with Gogoi. Once the manager saw the girl’s Aadhaar card and realised she is Kashmiri, he told him that we are sorry and that a room cannot be provided. The guest started arguing. But the manager informed him that we don’t provide hotel rooms to local people, which is procedure,” Ahmad said.

“We told the bellboy to take his (Gogoi's) luggage back to his car. He had come to the hotel in a Maruti car, driven by a bearded Kashmiri man. Gogoi told this Kashmiri driver, who was an accomplice, that the manager misbehaved with him. The driver confronted the manager and started threatening him at the parking lot when the manager was seeing off some guests. The driver shouted at the manager and manhandled him. This attracted the attention of others and a small crowd assembled. We also ran toward the spot. I called the police immediately. And the police took them all to the Khanyar police station," Ahmad said.

Naseer Ganai in Srinagar