Srinagar: Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat Friday said that if Major Gogoi is found guilty he will be punished and example will be set.
Major Gogoi who shot to fame after he used a civilian as human shield a year ago in Budgam and was caught days back with a girl in Srinagar hotel.
Army chief was talking to reporters at Good Will Army school Pahalgam
“If anyone in Indian Army, at any rank, does any wrong & it comes to our notice then strictest action will be taken. If Major Gogoi has done something wrong then I can say that he will be given due punishment & the punishment will be such that it will set an example,” Rawat said.
Rawat also commented on the Border conflagration which has lead to casualties on both sides.
“We want peace at borders but as you know Pakistan continuously violates ceasefire that causes loss of life & property and in such a case we have to retaliate but if Pak wants peace, we expect them to take initiative, which will start with them stopping infiltration,” Rawat commented.
Gogoi was caught with a girl in Srinagar hotel where he had booked a room for a night but was denied entry by the hotel front end staff. The hotel owner had said that they don’t give room to local people and since Gogoi was accompanied by a local girl they had rejected him accommodation.
Gogoi was accompanied by another person namely Sameer Ahmad, a close confidante of him.
According to a report in ThePrint, who quoted a Military expert on this, told them that according to Section 41 of the Army Act, 1950, if Gogoi’s superiors were unaware of his meeting, he could be called up for ‘disobedience to a superior officer’. On conviction by court martial, this attracts a sentence of 14 years or less and also under this section, even officers not on active duty can be sentenced to up to five years in prison or less depending on senior authorities.
“It remains to be determined whether Gogoi was on sanctioned leave or unauthorised leave. Even if an officer is on leave, he is required to submit the address to which he is travelling to his seniors,” said a military expert.
Under Section 45, an officer is “liable to be cashiered or to suffer such less punishment” if found indulging in unbecoming conduct. Gogoi’s alleged meeting with a civilian in a sensitive area falls under this section.
“If at all Gogoi is married, the case gets even more complicated since it can be considered unbecoming conduct,” the military expert told ThePrint.
Then there is Section 63: Under this section, said the military expert, officers are prohibited from civilian areas in sensitive zones unless on duty.
Major Gogoi shot to fame after he used farooq Ahmad Dar as Human Shield in Budgam district of Central Kashmir during election.
People had boycotted it and protests had erupted in which civilians too were killed.
Farooq was coming home after casting his vote, when Army unit headed by Major Gogoi caught him and tied him with a Jeep bonet while an army personnel announced on the loud speeker that any one protesting or throwing stone will be dealt the same way.
Farooq was not provided any compensation, though Gogoi was awarded by Indian Army for him novel idea.
Police after recording statement of Gogoi, the girl and the Sameer ahmad let them go.
Police has launched the inquiry into the incident.
