NEW DELHI: Major Nitin Leetul Gogoi, the officer who used Farooq Ahmed Dar, a Kashmiri civilian as a “human shield” was briefly detained by the police along with a woman from a hotel in Srinagar.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning when Army officer, who had booked the hotel online, arrived at Hotel Grand Mamta to check in, reported DNA.
According to media reports, the major, the woman, a local resident and another person were was apprehended following an altercation at the reception of the hotel when the owner denied entry to woman who came along with a man.
“Normally we ourselves pick up guests, who book rooms online, from the airport. But on Wednesday morning, a non-local man and a young local woman alighted from an Alto K10 car. As they approached the reception counter, the man identified himself as Leetul Gogoi from Assam. He showed his driving license from Assam instead of his identity card. When our staff inquired about the woman, who looked young, the man had no answer. Our staff humbly informed him that they don’t offer rooms to local women,” hotel owner Manzoor Ahmed told Times OF India.
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“We have initiated a probe why the officer had asked the girl to come and meet him,” a senior level officer of Jammu Kashmir Police told NDTV.
They were later released after questioning, said reports.
Major Gogoi had made headlines when he used Farooq Dar as a human shield by tieing him on a jeep’s bonnet to prevent stone-pelters, a move which was widely criticised.
Gogoi was even awarded the Army Chief of Army Staff Commendation (COAS) Card for “sustained efforts in CI (counterinsurgency) operations” for his act, triggered an outrage in Kashmir.