The Jammu and Kashmir police have ordered an inquiry into a fracas involving an Army officer and staffers at a Srinagar hotel on Wednesday.
Hotel staffers said Major Leetul Gogoi had booked a room online for two guests in the morning. At about 10.30 am, the officer arrived at the hotel reception for checking in along with a female guest.
Sources claimed that when the hotel staff insisted on the identification of the second guest, there was an argument between the officer and the staff.
The driver of the officer on hearing the argument also walked into the hotel which led to a fracas between them and the hotel staff. Due to the commotion that followed people from adjoining commercial complex also arrived.
GP (Kashmir) S P Pani has ordered a probe and appointed SP North City Sajad Ahmad Shah as the inquiry officer. “This is in reference to the Press Release issued by District Police Srinagar which reported the incident at the Hotel Grand Mamta today,” a police statement said. “In this matter, IGP Kashmir Zone has ordered a probe to be conducted by the SP North zone Srinagar in this incident within the ambit of law.”
Shah said: “We are conducting a parallel detailed inquiry. The story until now is that there was a room booked in the name of Leetul Gogoi. A couple came to the hotel but were not allowed inside. They (hotel staff) had said they cannot allow a local girl in the hotel.”
“On this, there was an altercation at the reception. They (hotel staff) immediately called the police. A police party was sent to the hotel, which brought them (Gogoi, the woman and another person) here. On verification, we didn’t find anything. She is an adult. She should have been 18+, something 18 or 19. We did proper verification and let them off,” he said.
Officials were handed over to their unit after duly recording their statements. The statement of woman is also being recorded for probing the matter, the release added.
“Subsequently, it was learnt that the woman had come to meet an Army officer. The identity and particulars of the Army officer have been collected by the police. The officials were handed over to their unit after due recording their statements. The statement of the woman is also being recorded for probing the matter.”
The owner of the hotel said that they denied the booking to Major Gogoi after they found a local woman with him. “Today morning, we got an online booking from Booking.com. The booking was in the name of Leetul Gogoi, for one night and two guests,” said Ajaz Ahmad Chashoo of Hotel Grand Mamta.
In his online booking, Major Gogoi had stated that “I am travelling for business and I may be using a business credit card”.
“At the reception, when we asked for their Identity proof, he (Gogoi) presented his driving licence. The woman first hesitated to give her identity proof and then presented her Aadhaar card, which had a Budgam address written on it. We also felt she is local and seemed underaged. The date of birth on her Aadhaar card was 2001. We told them that as per our hotel policy, we do not give accommodation to locals, especially when it is a boy and girl.”
Ahmad said that when hotel staff went out to drop the luggage back in Major Gogoi’s car, the driver of the car had an altercation with them and assaulted them. “He (Gogoi) left and when we went out to put his luggage in his car — he had come in a black Alto car with a Kashmiri driver — he (Gogoi) told the driver that we insulted him. The driver got out, shouted at our relationship manager and started beating people. We called the police,” he said.
Police have identified the driver of the vehicle as Sameer Ahmad, a resident of Budgam.
Major Gogoi had courted controversy in 2017 when he tied a local to the bonnet of his vehicle in Badgam district during a stone-pelting incident.
