A court in Guwahati on Tuesday (October 27) sent Ghanakanta Gogoi, accused of killing five people and injuring another in a shooting at a hotel, to seven days of police custody, a lawyer said. Gogoi is scheduled to be produced before the court again on November 3.
“The honourable court has granted seven days' police custody. At the end of it, Gogoi will be produced before the court on November 3,” the lawyer said.
Gogoi was arrested shortly after the shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn on Monday night. He remained at Paltan Bazar police station throughout Tuesday before being brought before the court in the evening.
Police have constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident. Meanwhile, the bereaved family has alleged that the shooting was planned and called for exemplary punishment for the accused.
According to a police statement, the preliminary investigation suggests that the shooting followed a dispute over the lease and management of Hotel Bilas Inn. The property belongs to the Bharali family and had been leased to Gogoi.
Police said the family signed a five-year lease agreement with Gogoi on September 10, 2025, at a monthly rent of around Rs 1.8 lakh.
Disagreements reportedly developed after Gogoi renovated the property, with differences emerging over its use and the provision of certain facilities.
A meeting had been arranged at the hotel on Monday (October 26) to settle the dispute. However, an argument reportedly escalated into a fight before the meeting could begin. Gogoi then allegedly opened fire on six people, according to the police statement.
The people killed in the shooting have been identified as Bhudev Bharali; his sister, Helena; her son, Debarshi Kashyap; her daughter-in-law, Rinika Kashyap; and family staffer Narayan Das.
Satyendra Pathak, a driver employed by the Bharali family, was also injured in the incident.
The investigation is ongoing, with the SIT tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting. (with inputs from PTI)