Guwahati, Oct 27 (PTI) A day after five people were shot dead at a hotel here, the bereaved family on Tuesday said it was a planned murder, and the prime accused had gathered the victims there on the pretext of discussing lease renewal and pending dues.
The shooting happened around 9 pm on Monday at Hotel Bilas Inn on the arterial GS Road, about 2 km from the Assam Police headquarters, following a dispute between the owner of the property and its leaseholder.
The accused and leaseholder of the property, Ghanakanta Gogoi, was apprehended within the hour from the Paltan Bazar area.
Dilip Bharali, the elder brother of victims Bhudeb and Helena, demanded stringent and exemplary punishment for the killer.
Helena’s son and daughter-in-law, Debarshi and Rinki, and family staffer, Narayan Das, were also killed in the incident. A driver of the Bharali family, Satyen Pathak, was also injured in the shooting.
Speaking to reporters here, Dilip Bharali said Gogoi had convened a meeting with the family, which owns the hotel, to discuss pending dues and renewal of the lease.
Gogoi had taken the hotel on lease more than a year ago, but payments were pending for several months, and the lease agreement was also due for renewal, Bharali said. “Gogoi had called us all for the meeting. Bhudeb attended it, but I couldn’t as I was involved in the affairs of a local puja committee.”
“It appears that Gogoi had planned the attack. He didn’t miss a single shot,” Bharali claimed.
He said, “We are simple businessmen. We don’t support any violence. I urge the government to ensure that the most stringent punishment is meted out to the accused so that no one dares to commit such a crime in future.” PTI SSG SSG NSD
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