Army chief assures stern action against Major Gogoi

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday said that any case of moral turpitude and corruption against Major Leetul Gogoi will be dealt with sternly.

"Talking about Major Gogoi, I had clearly said that any case of moral turpitude and corruption will be dealt with sternly. A Court of Inquiry has been conducted which has recommended that we should go in for court martial proceedings for whatever he has been found guilty of," General Rawat told reporters here.

He said that punishment will be given to Major Gogoi as per the crime committed by him.

"Action will be taken based on his guilt that emerges from this. If it is related directly to moral turpitude then we will take action accordingly. If it is something else then a punishment will be given to him according to the crime he has committed," the Army chief said.

Earlier, the Indian Army's Court of Inquiry had found Major Gogoi guilty in the Srinagar hotel altercation case and came to a conclusion that the facts on the ground were against him, and sought disciplinary action against Major Gogoi.

The court had held him accountable for violating the official Army policy of fraternising with a local woman and for being absent from the place of duty while on active service in an operational area.

On May 23, Major Gogoi was detained by the Jammu and Kashmir police from a hotel in Srinagar following an altercation. The argument erupted when Major Gogoi, who was allegedly trying to enter the hotel with a woman, was barred from doing so.

General Rawat had said that Major Gogoi would be given "exemplary punishment" if found guilty.

Major Gogoi first made headlines in April last year, when he tied a civilian to the bonnet of his vehicle as a "human shield" and drove through Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam during the Srinagar constituency by-elections. He was later awarded the Army chief's 'Commendation Card.