5 shot dead at Guwahati hotel over suspected property dispute; 1 arrested

Five people were allegedly shot dead at a hotel in Guwahati on Monday (October 26) night in a dispute between the property owner and its leaseholder.

The incident happened around 9 pm at Hotel Bilas Inn, opposite Bora Service on the arterial GS Road, about 2 km from the Assam Police headquarters. Four persons died on the spot, while another succumbed to his injuries at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

The deceased have been identified as hotel owner Helena Bharali and her son Devarshi Kashyap, and two others, Narayan Das (48) and Satyendra Pathak (42). The identity of the fifth victim was not immediately available.

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A senior doctor at GMCH said the condition of the lone survivor is stable at present. One person has been detained in connection with the incident, but his identity has not been disclosed.

One person intended target

Police said seven rounds were fired and that one person was the intended target. The shootout took place in a narrow lane near Hotel Bilas Inn under Paltan Bazar police station. Some of the injured were reportedly from Barpeta, but their identities were yet to be confirmed.

Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta reached the spot and monitored the situation. He directed the police to take strict action to apprehend those involved. Local police have launched an investigation into the incident.

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“An unfortunate firing incident took place today. Six persons sustained gunshot wounds, of whom five succumbed to their injuries. One person is undergoing treatment,” Mahanta told reporters outside the hotel.

Property dispute suspected

He said the accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi—the leaseholder of the property—was apprehended within an hour of the incident in the Paltan Bazar area.

“The weapon used in the incident, a .32-bore licensed pistol, has been seized. Interrogation is underway, and preliminary investigation suggests that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of the hotel,” Mahanta said.

“All the deceased are associated with the owner of the hotel. Four of them belonged to the same family, and the other person is from their village. The injured person is also from the same village,” he added.

Mahanta said the leader himself fired on them. “He had taken the hotel on lease about a year ago... A scientific and thorough investigation is underway to bring the case to its logical conclusion, with every detail of the incident likely to be found by Tuesday,” the commissioner said.

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Hotel Bilas Inn had already become infamous about a year ago when its owner was arrested in connection with an alleged flesh trade case.

Gogoi questions law and order

The incident has sparked alarm in Guwahati, where such shootings have become uncommon in recent times.

State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, meanwhile, said the incident raises serious concerns about the law-and-order situation in Guwahati.

“Deeply saddened by the tragic firing incident at Ulubari Hotel Bilas Inn, Guwahati, in which five people have reportedly lost their lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” the Jorhat MP said in a social media post.

“This incident raises serious concerns about public safety and the law and order situation in Guwahati. As Chief Minister and Home Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma must take responsibility and pay more attention to rising crime,” he added.

Gogoi, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, said the authorities should conduct a thorough inquiry, bring the perpetrators to justice, and take concrete measures to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

(With inputs from Sandeep Sharma)