By Anup Sharma
Guwahati, November 4: Ghanakanta Gogoi, the accused in the October 26 shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati that left five people dead, was killed in a police encounter late Tuesday night, police said.
Gogoi had allegedly opened fire on six people at random inside Hotel Bilas Inn on GS Road in Guwahati on October 26, killing five of them on the spot.
The victims included Hotel Bilas Inn owner Helena Bharali, her son Deborshi Kashyap, Deborshi’s wife Rinika Kashyap, Helena’s brother Bhudev Bharali, and Narayan Das, a close aide of the family.
Police subsequently arrested Ghanakanta Gogoi from the Basistha area of Guwahati on the same night.
On Tuesday, after his police custody ended, Gogoi was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. However, a team of Sivasagar Police took him into custody from Guwahati Central Jail in connection with another case registered against him around two years ago.
According to Sivasagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Papori Chetia, Gogoi was being taken to Sivasagar for interrogation when the incident occurred near Gaurisagar.
“Our team took custody of Gogoi from Guwahati Central Jail, and he was being brought to Sivasagar for interrogation. However, near Gaurisagar, Gogoi asked to stop the vehicle to attend to nature’s call. As he got out of the vehicle, he snatched the investigating officer’s service weapon, leading to a scuffle. Ghanakanta also fired three rounds from the service weapon during the scuffle,” Chetia said.
“However, during the scuffle, the police had to shoot at Ghanakanta to ensure the safety of the officer. Ghanakanta was a trained shooter and had experience with different weapons,” she added.
Chetia further said that the police officer sustained injuries during the scuffle, while Gogoi was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Also Read: Guwahati Hotel Bilas Inn Firing: Five Dead, Accused Ghanakanta Gogoi Arrested
