A property dispute between a hotel owner and a leaseholder escalated into a deadly shootout in Assam's Guwahati on Monday night, leaving five people dead.
According to police, the violence unfolded around 9 pm at Hotel Bilas Inn on the bustling GS Road, just two kilometres from the Assam Police headquarters.
“An unfortunate firing incident took place today. Six persons sustained gunshot wounds, of whom five succumbed to the injuries. One person is undergoing treatment,” Police Commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta told reporters outside the hotel.
He said the accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi – the leaseholder of the property, was apprehended within one hour of the incident in the Paltan Bazar area.
“The weapon used in the incident, a .32-bore licensed pistol, has been seized. Interrogation is underway, and preliminary investigation suggests that the incident stemmed from a property dispute related to the lease agreement of the hotel,” Mahanta said.
“All the deceased are associated with the owner of the hotel. Four of them belonged to the same family, and the other person is from their village. The injured person is also from the same village,” he added.
Mahanta said the leader himself fired on them.
"He had taken the hotel on lease about a year ago... A scientific and thorough investigation is underway to bring the case to its logical conclusion, with every detail of the incident likely to be found by Tuesday," the commissioner said.
Another officer said three of the deceased have been identified as Helena Bharali, Deborshi Kashyap and Narayan Das, while the identities of the others are being verified.
A senior doctor at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital said the lone survivor in the shootout has been identified as Satyen Pathak and his condition is stable at present.
‘Deeply saddened’: Gaurav Gogoi
State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, meanwhile, said the incident raises 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.
Gogoi, the deputy leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha, said the authorities should conduct a thorough enquiry, bring the perpetrators to justice, and take concrete measures to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
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