Ghanakanta Gogoi, 34, the prime accused in the October 26 mass shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati that claimed five lives, was killed in a police encounter in Assam's Sivasagar district in the early hours of Wednesday, November 4, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Papori Chetia said, according to ANI. Police said the firing took place at about 3:10 a.m. at Phulpanichiga, under Gaurisagar Police Station, while a Sivasagar Police team was transporting Gogoi from Guwahati in connection with Sivasagar Police Station Case No. 108/26, a separate case. This is a major new development in the case Awaaz Punjab reported earlier, when Assam Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the hotel killings.

Source: ANI via Indian Economic Observer

According to SSP Chetia, Gogoi requested to step out of the police vehicle at Phulpanichiga to relieve himself. As he got down, he allegedly attempted to snatch the service pistol of Sub-Inspector Debashish Sharma, who was also the investigating officer in the case. 'While coming out of the vehicle, because he is a trained professional shooter, he tried to snatch the service pistol of our officer, who is also the investigating officer,' Chetia said, as reported by ANI.

Source: ANI via Indian Economic Observer

The SSP said two to three rounds were fired during the scuffle, with two bullets hitting the police vehicle. To prevent further injury and assault on the officer, another member of the escort team fired back from his service weapon. Gogoi sustained bullet injuries and died while being taken to hospital, police said; one report said he was declared brought dead at Sivasagar Civil Hospital. Sub-Inspector Sharma sustained an injury to his right leg during the scuffle. Asked about his condition, Chetia said, 'He is stable now. He is stable.' Forensic teams examined the encounter spot, according to reports.

Source: Nation Press

The encounter came within hours of a turning point in Gogoi's custody. He had completed a seven-day remand with Guwahati Police on Tuesday, November 3, and a court had remanded him to judicial custody in the hotel shooting case. Sivasagar Police then formally re-arrested him from Guwahati Central Jail in connection with the separate case — reported as a 2024 Punjab National Bank car-loan case registered at Sivasagar — and was taking him towards Sivasagar for interrogation when the incident occurred near Gaurisagar, according to Nation Press and Eastern Lens.

Source: Eastern Lens

The October 26 Hotel Bilas Inn shooting

On the night of October 26, Paltan Bazar Police Station received information about multiple gunshots at around 9 p.m. Police teams reached Hotel Bilas Inn, where four people were found dead inside the reception area and two others were found injured on the approach road. The injured were shifted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where one of them later died; one person remains under treatment. The five deceased were identified as Bhudev Bharali (65) of Barpeta; Helena Bharali (58), the hotel's owner; her son Debarshi Kashyap (39) and daughter-in-law Rinika Kashyap (30), all of Nabin Nagar in Guwahati; and Narayan Das (48) of Barpeta. The family driver, Satyendra Pathak, was injured. Guwahati Police arrested Gogoi the same night with a licensed .32-bore pistol, and police linked the firing to an escalating lease and rent dispute; Assam Police later constituted an SIT to probe the killings, as Awaaz Punjab reported earlier.

Source: ANI via Indian Economic Observer

A daughter of one of the victims was reported as saying the family had 'got justice' after news of Gogoi's death, according to the Indian Economic Observer's report. Police said further details of the encounter were awaited, and no formal inquiry into the firing had been announced as of Wednesday morning, according to Nation Press. All accounts of the scuffle above are the police version of events, as stated by SSP Chetia, and are reported as allegations about Gogoi's actions.

Source: Nation Press

Read Awaaz Punjab's earlier report on the investigation into the hotel killings. Hotel shooting: SIT formed