Army awards loss of six months seniority in pension to Major Leetul Gogoi: Army sources

New Delhi [India], May 5 (ANI): Army has awarded severe reprimand and loss of six months seniority to Major Leetul Gogoi for meeting a lady source in a hotel on May 23 last year, Army sources said on Sunday.
The officer would now be posted out of the Kashmir valley as he has completed his tenure in the region in the counter-insurgency force, Rashtriya Rifles, Army sources said.
"The officer has been awarded punishment of Severe Reprimand and Six months loss of seniority for pension only. Since on the completion of disciplinary proceedings against him, the discipline and vigilance ban on him has been lifted and he shall now be posted out as normal posting," Army sources said.
The Army also denied that the officer was being shunted out of the Kashmir valley due to the proceedings against him.
Major Leetul Gogoi who hit the headlines in April 2017 for using a civilian as a shield against stone-pelters in Kashmir valley, had been held guilty by a court of inquiry for meeting a local girl source in a hotel in violation of the rules under Army Act 63.
He was also facing the charge of not giving correct information to his JCO while leaving his company operating base near Srinagar when he was proceeding to meet the lady source.
After the jeep incident came to light, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had last year said that the officer had not committed as grave a mistake as was being made out by the media.
General Rawat had backed the officer when the jeep episode had happened but had also talked about giving him exemplary punishment when the hotel episode came into the limelight.
On May 23 last year, the Kashmir police had detained Major Gogoi when he was found in a Srinagar hotel with an 18-year-old woman. After the altercation, the Army ordered a court of inquiry (CoI) to probe the incident.
The CoI held him guilty of "fraternising" with a local in violation of Army instructions in operational areas on March 31, 2019. (ANI)