Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 27 (ANI): A relative of the victims of the Guwahati shooting incident, in which five people were killed near Hotel Bilas Inn in the Ulubari area, on Tuesday described the incident as a “cold-blooded murder” as family members gathered outside the morgue of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
Speaking to ANI outside the hospital, Surajit Kalita, a relative of the deceased, said, “At present, I cannot say anything. But as a layman, I can say that this is a cold-blooded murder. Otherwise, a person cannot shoot out five people at a time without missing a single bullet. So, he is a criminal-minded person.”
According to police, five people were killed, and one person was injured in the firing incident near Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati’s Bora Service area at around 9 pm on Monday. The injured person is undergoing treatment at GMCH.
Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent (in-charge) of GMCH, Prof. (Dr) Babul Kumar Bezbaruah, said one injured person was brought to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the right shoulder and was stable under treatment.
“One injured person was brought here; he had a gunshot injury on the right shoulder. The patient is stable now and under treatment. Another five bodies were taken, who were brought dead. The exact cause of death of all these would be ascertained after post-mortem examination,” Bezbaruah told ANI.
Guwahati Police Commissioner Dr Partha Sarathi Mahanta confirmed that the accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, was apprehended within an hour of the incident. Police also seized the weapon used in the shooting.
Police said preliminary investigations suggest that the firing stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of Hotel Bilas Inn. The suspected dispute was between the hotel owner’s side and the person who had taken the property on lease. The accused had leased the hotel, the police commissioner said.
Mahanta said four of the five deceased belonged to the same family, while the fifth victim was from their village. The injured person was also from the same village.
The police commissioner said a scientific and thorough investigation was underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and bring the case to its logical conclusion.
Meanwhile, Assam Congress president and MP Gaurav Gogoi expressed concern over the incident and raised questions over public safety and the law and order situation in the state.
In a post on X, Gogoi said, “Deeply saddened by the tragic firing incident in Ulubari Hotel Bilas Inn, Guwahati, in which five people have reportedly lost their lives. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. 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.”
“I urge the authorities to conduct a thorough enquiry, bring the perpetrators to justice, and take concrete measures to prevent such tragedies from recurring,” he added.
Speaking to ANI, Gogoi called the incident “absolutely shocking and very disturbing” and alleged that the BJP was responsible for the political climate in the region. “We can see that over the past few years there is a spirit of lawlessness that is growing in Assam in the states of the North East. This is happening because the political climate itself is being poisoned by the people that the BJP have appointed in the states in the North East,” he alleged.
Citing Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, he said, “In society one has to be very careful of who we appoint in positions of authority, especially in the government as ministers, as chief ministers. Here the BJP have clearly not done their homework.”
He further alleged that the BJP’s primary focus was “running illegal syndicates and exploiting people.” “This is why when you have people of dubious nature in positions of power, the society itself gets disturbed. And that’s what we’re seeing across the North East,” he said.
Further investigation into the incident is underway. (ANI)
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