SRINAGAR – Notorious Indian Army Major Gogoi faces yet another humiliationas he may have to lose his seniority after court martial.

The court martial proceedings against Major Leetul Gogoi, who was at thecentre of the 2017 ‘human shield’ controversy, have been completed and hemay face reduction in seniority as a punishment for “fraternising” with alocal woman in Srinagar last year, officials said.

The court martial process against his driver, Sameer Malla, who was facingcharges of unauthorised absence from the unit, was also completed recentlyin the Kashmir valley and he is likely to be given a “severe reprimand”.

Malla, recruited in the Territorial Army in 2017, was posted with 53 sectorof Rashtriya Rifles, a counter-insurgency force fighting militancy in Jammuand Kashmir.

After completion of Summary of Evidence against Major Gogoi and his driverin early February followed by the initiation of court martial proceedings,the two men have been held guilty on two counts — “fraternising” with alocal in spite of instructions to the contrary and “being away from theplace of duty while in operational area”, the officials said.

Statements of the accused as well as other witnesses were recorded by theArmy court and the punishment, which will be vetted by the Armyheadquarters, has been given, they added.

The Army Court of Inquiry (CoI) had recommended disciplinary action againstMajor Gogoi after it indicted him as well as his driver for the Srinagarhotel incident on May 23 last year. Major Gogoi was detained by policefollowing an altercation with the hotel staff when he was allegedly tryingto enter inside with an 18-year-old woman. The woman had expressed herunwillingness to depose during the court martial proceedings and informedthe Army authorities that she had given a statement before a magistrate andthe same should be treated as her final stand.

The woman had also stated that she had gone out with Major Gogoi of her ownwill, besides disclosing that she had become a friend of the Army officerthrough his fake Facebook profile, where he had named himself Ubaid Arman.

Immediately after the incident came to light last year, Army chief BipinRawat had said that exemplary punishment would be given to Major Gogoi ifhe was found guilty of “any offence”.

“If any officer of the Indian Army is found guilty of any offence, we willtake strictest possible action,” General Rawat had said.

Major Gogoi hit the headlines after he tied a man to a jeep purportedly asa shield against stone pelters during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabhaby-election on April 9, 2017.