Major Gogoi will be punished if he has done something wrong, and it'll set an example: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat

In a first reaction to the controversy that has gripped the Indian Army, General Bipin Rawat said that if anyone, at any rank, in the Indian Army does wrong and “it comes to our notice”, strictest action will be taken. Speaking to ANI, Rawat named Major Leetul Gogoi and said, “If Major Gogoi has done something wrong then I can say that he will be given due punishment and the punishment will be such that it will set an example.” [caption id=“attachment_4363815” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of General Bipin Rawat. News18[/caption] Major Leetul Gogoi, who hogged headlines last year for using a Kashmiri man as human shield, was caught on Wednesday with a “minor” girl from a Srinagar hotel. The army officer spent a night with a minor girl in the hotel before rejoining duty at 53 Rashtriya Rifles (Punjab Regiment) base at Beerwa in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The Jammu and Kashmir Police said an army officer, a minor and a driver were apprehended after they got a call from Hotel Grand Mamta in Dalgate area of Srinagar. The eyewitnesses said that the major was dragged by the locals after the scandal surfaced before taken under police custody. Manzoor Ahmad, the owner of Hotel Grand Mamta told Firstpost that the army major had booked a room in the hotel using an online service, booking.com, and appeared in the hotel in the morning from Srinagar airport. Commenting on constant cross-border firing across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir, Rawat said, “We want peace at borders but as you know Pakistan continuously violates ceasefire that causes loss of life and property and in such a case we have to retaliate but if Pakistan wants peace, we expect them to take initiative, which will start with them stopping infiltration.” Rawat also commented on the recently agreed upon ceasefire during the month of Ramzan, and said, “We suspended operations to show people atmosphere of peace and I believe people are happy, if things continue in a similar way we can say that continuing of NICO (Non-Initiation of Combat Operations) can be thought of, but if terrorist activities continue we cannot do so.”