Guwahati, October 27: Guwahati hotel shooting claimed five lives and left another person injured after a gunman allegedly opened fire at Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area of Ulubari, along GS Road, on Monday night. Police arrested the accused within an hour of the incident and recovered the weapon allegedly used in the attack.
The shooting occurred around 9 pm on October 26. According to Guwahati Police Commissioner Dr Partha Sarathi Mahanta, six people sustained bullet injuries. Four died at the scene, while another succumbed to injuries at a hospital. The surviving victim is undergoing treatment at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
Police identified the accused as Ghanakanta Gogoi, who had reportedly taken the hotel on lease approximately a year ago. He was apprehended within an hour of the shooting and taken into custody for questioning.
Hotel Lease Dispute Suspected Behind Shooting
Preliminary investigations suggest that a dispute over the lease agreement of Hotel Bilas Inn may have triggered the shooting. Police said tensions had developed between the property owners and Gogoi, who was operating the establishment under a lease arrangement.
Commissioner Mahanta confirmed that investigators were examining the circumstances surrounding the disagreement to establish what led to the violence.
Four of the five deceased reportedly belonged to the same family, while the fifth victim was from their village. The injured person also hailed from the same village. Police said the deceased included members of the property-owning family.
Hotel Owner and Son Among Victims
Media reports identified hotel owner Helena Bharali and her son Debarshi Kashyap among those killed. Two other victims were identified as Narayan Das, approximately 48, and Chaitanya Pathak, approximately 42.
GMCH officials confirmed that Narayan Das was brought to the hospital dead with a bullet injury to his lip. However, police had not released the complete official list of victims at the time of reporting.
Following the incident, Commissioner Mahanta and a forensic team visited the hotel to examine the crime scene and collect evidence. The bodies were subsequently sent to GMCH for post-mortem examinations.
The shooting occurred at a hotel situated approximately two kilometres from the Assam Police headquarters, raising concerns about public safety in one of Guwahati’s busy commercial areas.
Gaurav Gogoi Questions Law and Order
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.
He also questioned the prevailing law-and-order situation in Guwahati and called upon Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who holds the Home portfolio, to take responsibility for public safety.
Gogoi urged the state government to pay greater attention to criminal activities and ensure effective measures to prevent similar incidents.
Meanwhile, police are continuing their investigation to establish the precise motive, reconstruct the sequence of events and determine whether any additional circumstances contributed to the shooting.
