Five killed in Guwahati hotel shooting, police cite lease dispute
A gunman opened fire at a hotel in Guwahati, killing five people; police say the attack stemmed from a dispute between the hotel owner and the leaseholder.
Police in Assam have launched a special investigation team (SIT) after a shooting at a hotel in Guwahati left five dead. CCTV footage shows a man entering a shop area of the premises and firing at another man at close range. The victims were identified as hotel owner Helena Bharali, her son Devarshi Kashyap, Devarshi's wife Rinika Kashyap, family relative Narayan Das and Helena's brother Bhudev Bharali. The alleged shooter, 43-year-old Satyendra Pathak, survived with a shoulder wound and is receiving treatment at GMCH.
According to a police statement, the incident arose from a dispute over a lease agreement signed on 10 September 2025, under which the accused, Ghanakanta Gogoi, rented the property for about Rs 1.8 lakh per month for five years. After renovations by the leaseholder, disagreements over the use of the premises and provision of facilities led to a scheduled meeting on 26 October 2026. An argument escalated into a physical clash, after which the accused opened fire on six people.
Gogoi was arrested and placed in police custody, and the firearm used in the attack was seized. The SIT, headed by Joint Commissioner of Police Ankur Jain, will examine forensic evidence, witness statements and other relevant details. Teams from the Criminal Investigation Department and the Forensic Science Laboratory have recovered spent and live .32 calibre cartridges from the scene.
State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi expressed condolences to the victims' families and called for greater attention to public safety in Guwahati, urging Chief Minister and Home Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to address rising crime.