Guwahati Hotel Shooting: Prime Accused Ghanakanta Gogoi Killed in Police Encounter
Ghanakanta Gogoi, the prime accused in the Hotel Bilas Inn mass shooting, was killed in a police encounter in Assam's Sivasagar district.
Ghanakanta Gogoi, the primary suspect in the brutal mass shooting at Guwahati's Hotel Bilas Inn that left five people dead on October 26, has been killed. The 34-year-old accused died in a police encounter in the Sivasagar district of Assam early Wednesday morning after allegedly attempting to escape custody by snatching an officer's weapon.
The Encounter: A Sudden Struggle in Sivasagar
The incident occurred around 3:12 AM at Phulpanichiga, under the jurisdiction of the Gaurisagar Police Station, approximately 350 km away from Guwahati. At the time, a team from the Sivasagar Police was transporting Gogoi in relation to a separate bank fraud case filed in 2024.
According to Sivasagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Papori Chetia, the situation escalated when Gogoi requested to stop the vehicle to answer nature's call. As soon as he stepped out of the vehicle, he reportedly attempted to seize the service pistol of the investigating officer.
A scuffle broke out between the accused and the police. In an effort to protect the senior officer, another policeman opened fire, hitting Gogoi. The accused was rushed to Sivasagar Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. Sub-Inspector Debashish Sharma, the investigating officer, sustained an injury to his right leg during the struggle and is currently in stable condition at the hospital.
'We Have Got Justice': A Family's Solace
The news of Gogoi's death brought a sense of closure to the family of the victims. Ankita Bharali, the daughter of the deceased hotel co-owner Bhudev Bharali, expressed her relief, noting that the criminal who murdered her father, paternal aunt, brother, and sister-in-law for no apparent reason had met his end.
"This morning, we received the news that the criminal who murdered my family... has also met a similar end today. Even amidst such immense grief, this has brought us some peace. Before our memorial lamp went out, he died," Ankita Bharali told ANI.
While expressing gratitude to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the police force for their relentless investigation, Ankita urged the authorities not to stop here. She called for a thorough probe to uncover any wider conspiracy or criminal network that may have encouraged or supported Gogoi in committing the mass murder.
Legal Timeline and Prior Warnings
The encounter took place shortly after Gogoi's legal status shifted. On Tuesday, November 3, he completed a seven-day remand with the Guwahati Police. Following a crime-scene reconstruction at the hotel on November 2, the Kamrup (Metro) Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court rejected further police remand and sent him to 14-day judicial custody.
The Sivasagar Police had subsequently obtained a transit warrant to take him into custody for the pending vehicle loan fraud case.
Interestingly, the possibility of an encounter had been raised early in the proceedings. During his first court appearance on October 27, Gogoi's legal counsel expressed fears that the accused might be killed in a police encounter. This had led the CJM court to order strict nighttime security safeguards and supervision by an officer of DSP rank during his initial custody in Guwahati.
Forensic teams have since visited the encounter site in Sivasagar to conduct a detailed examination of the scene.