4 of family dead: How dispute over hotel lease escalated into mass shooting in Guwahati

A deadly shooting occurred at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati, leaving five people dead and one injured.

GUWAHATI: A dispute over a hotel lease allegedly escalated into a deadly shooting in Guwahati on Monday night, leaving five people dead and another injured.The victims included the hotel's co-owner, her son and daughter-in-law, her brother and the property’s caretaker.The accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, the hotel's leaseholder, was arrested within an hour of the incident, police said.Gogoi allegedly opened fire at Hotel Bilas Inn on GS Road, opposite Bora Service, around 9pm. The hotel is about 2km from the Assam Police headquarters.The victims were associated with the hotel's ownership and management. Four of the deceased belonged to the same family, while the fifth person was from their village, Guwahati police commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

The injured survivor was also from the same village.“Preliminary investigation suggests that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of the hotel,” Mahanta told reporters outside the property.Gogoi had taken the hotel on lease about a year ago, the commissioner said, adding that investigators were examining all aspects of the incident to establish the sequence of events.Accused arrested, licensed pistol seizedPolice apprehended Gogoi in the Paltan Bazar area within an hour of the shooting.

A licensed .32-bore pistol, suspected to have been used in the killings, was seized from him.“Six persons sustained gunshot wounds, of whom five succumbed to the injuries. One person is undergoing treatment,” Mahanta said.Three of the deceased have been identified as Helena Bharali, Deborshi Kashyap and Narayan Das, while the identities of the remaining victims were being verified.The sole survivor, identified as Satyen Pathak, 42, sustained a bullet injury to his shoulder and was undergoing treatment at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

His condition was stable, a senior doctor said.A forensic and scientific investigation is underway, with specialised teams examining the crime scene and collecting evidence. Police said further investigation would establish the precise circumstances that led to the shooting.Congress raises law and order concernsAssam Congress president and Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi expressed grief over the killings and raised concerns about public safety in Guwahati.In a social media post, Gogoi offered condolences to the victims' families and said the incident raised serious questions about the city's law and order situation. He called on chief minister and home minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take responsibility and pay greater attention to rising crime.

Gogoi, the deputy leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, also called for a thorough inquiry, accountability and concrete measures to prevent similar incidents.