India
The court has held him accountable for fraternising locals in spite of instructions to the contrary and being away from the place of duty while in operational area. The Army debars its soldiers from developing relationships with people of the area where they are deployed due to the apprehension that some sensitive information might leak, even though inadvertently.
New Delhi: The Indian Army has ordered disciplinary action against Maj Leetul Gogoi after a court of inquiry found him guilty of having an “unauthorised” relationship with a local woman and being away from his place of duty during deployment in the operational area.
The officer, who shot to fame after saving several lives by using a stone-pelting Kashmiri as a human shield against a blood-thirsty mob last year, was detained by the Jammu and Kashmir Police when he was allegedly trying to enter a hotel in Srinagar with a local woman in May this year.
“Orders have been issued to initiate disciplinary action (against Maj Leetul Gogoi). The court has held him accountable for fraternising locals in spite of instructions to the contrary and being away from the place of duty while in operational area,” Army sources said.
The action has been initiated after the Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat had made it very clear that “exemplary action” would be taken against Gogoi if he was found guilty of any offence levelled against him.
“If any officer of the Indian Army is found guilty of any offence, we will take strictest possible action. If Maj Gogoi has done something wrong, I assure you that he will be awarded punishment at the earliest… the punishment will set an example,” Rawat had said two days after Gogoi was apprehended by the Kashmir police.
On the future course of action against Gogoi by the Army, senior lawyer Maj SS Pandey said if evidences did not come up in the summary of evidence, the case may even be dismissed. But if that is not the case, he may even be tried by a court martial.
“Since he is a major-rank officer and the charges against him are not that serious, the Army also has the option of holding a summary trial against him,” Pandey said.
In the Army, officers of the major rank and below can be tried by summary trial for any offence while officers from lieutenant colonel rank and above have to be tried by a general court martial.
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