New Delhi: A .32-bore pistol, a hotel, and a lease-agreement dispute, these were at the centre of an incident in the Ulubari area of Guwahati on Monday, when the leaseholder allegedly fired multiple shots, killing five people, four of whom included the hotel-owner and her family members, police said.
They said the accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi (34), was arrested hours after the killings. “We suspect that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of Hotel Hotel Bilas Inn,” police said regarding Gogoi’s motive.
Ghanakanta Gogoi is from Dibrugarh, but currently lived in Guwahati’s Sawkuchi.
The victims have been identified as Helena Bharali (58), the owner of the hotel; her son, Debarshi Kashyap (39); his wife Rinika Kashyap (30); Bhudev Bharali (65), Helena’s brother; and Narayan Das (48), a relative of the family.
The incident sent shockwaves through the neighbourhood, and prompted Opposition leaders to raise questions about “public safety” and law and order in the BJP-ruled state.
A senior police officer told ThePrint the initial investigation revealed that the hotel-owner and Gogoi entered into a five-year lease agreement on 10 September last year at a monthly rental of Rs 1.8 lakh. “Following renovation of the property by the accused, disagreements reportedly arose regarding the use of the premises and provision of certain facilities,” said the officer.
Further, the officer said, “A meeting was scheduled at the hotel on 26 October 2026 to resolve these issues. However, even before the meeting could formally commence, an argument escalated into a physical altercation, following which the accused opened fire on six persons.”
The officer said the accused was traced to the Basistha Police Station area and taken into police custody, and the pistol used in the offence has also been seized.
The accused is being interrogated, while police have also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the crime.
A lease property dispute
A senior police officer said that at around 9 pm on 26 October, Ghanakanta Gogoi, the leaseholder, carried a .32-bore pistol and entered a lane in Ulubari. He first shot two men in the lane and then entered Hotel Bilas Inn, where he shot the owner, Helena Bharali, her son, Devarshi, and her brother.
He said Gogoi had leased the hotel from Helena a year ago. The two sides had a dispute over the lease, prompting Ghanakanta to allegedly commit the crime.
Addressing the media, Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said the incident took place around 9 pm at Hotel Bilas Inn in the Bora Service area of Guwahati.
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…
— Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) October 26, 2026
Six people sustained gunshot injuries in the incident, but five succumbed to their injuries. The sixth person is undergoing treatment, and the accused has been apprehended. The weapon used in the incident has also been seized.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, we suspect that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of Hotel Bilas Inn. The investigation is still at a preliminary stage. The most important thing at this point is that an unfortunate incident of firing has taken place, five persons have succumbed to their injuries, and the accused named Ghanakanta Gogoi was apprehended within an hour of the incident,” he said.
Guwahati Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta said four of the five people who lost their lives belonged to the same family, while the fifth was a distant relative from the same village.
The injured person is also from the same village. “The incident appears to have resulted from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of Hotel Bilas Inn between the owner’s side and the person who had taken the hotel on lease. The accused had taken the hotel on lease…” CP Mahanta said.
After the incident, the injured persons were taken to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent (in-charge) Prof. (Dr) Babul Kumar Bezbaruah said Narayan Das, 48, was brought dead. He had an injury on his lip, possibly caused by a direct impact.
“The bullet appears to have entered the body, but there is no exit wound. The second person is Satyendra Pathak, aged 42. He has a through-and-through injury, meaning there are both entry and exit wounds. He is currently stable and undergoing treatment under the Orthopaedics and Surgery departments,” he said.
Leaseholder arrested
The only accused in the case, Gogoi, was arrested late Monday evening, police said. According to preliminary police investigations, the shooting stemmed from a serious property dispute related to the hotel’s lease agreement.
The dispute involved the hotel owner’s associates and the individual who had taken the establishment on lease.
Police said Gogoi fled the scene immediately after opening fire but was later tracked down and apprehended by police teams within an hour of the crime.
Meanwhile, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said the incident raised 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.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)