‘God’s justice’: Guwahati hotel firing victims’ families react to accused’s death

Families of the five people killed in the Guwahati hotel firing incident have described the death of the prime accused in police firing as “God’s justice”, saying the development has brought them a sense of relief after days of fear and grief.

The family members said they believed the deceased would now find peace and thanked people across Assam for standing by them following the October 26 shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn.

Ghanakanta Gogoi, 34, the hotel’s leaseholder and prime accused in the firing, was killed in police firing in Assam’s Sivasagar district early on Wednesday. He was allegedly attempting to escape from police custody while being taken for further investigation, a senior police officer said.

Gogoi had allegedly opened fire on six people inside the Guwahati hotel premises following a dispute with the property owners. Five people, including four members of the family that owned the hotel, were killed, while a family driver sustained injuries.

The deceased were identified as Bhudev Bharali, 65, his sister Helena, 58, her son Debarshi Kashyap, 39, daughter-in-law Rinika Kashyap, 30, and family staffer Narayan Das, 48. The injured driver was identified as Satyendra Pathak, 43.

Speaking to reporters at their residence, the elderly mother of Bhudev and Helena Bharali said she had faith that justice would eventually be delivered.

“Their souls will find peace now. As their family, we will also find some peace. I want to thank the Almighty for giving us this justice. I had my belief in God that justice would be done,” she said.

Bhudev Bharali’s daughter also expressed gratitude to people across Assam for their support during the difficult period.

“We are grateful to the people of Assam for their support and solidarity. Even in this time of sorrow, the news of the accused’s death has given us some peace. God has given us justice,” she said.

Another family member said they had been living with the fear that Gogoi could target them if he managed to secure his release or walk free at a later stage.

The development has also brought relief to the family of Satyendra Pathak, the lone survivor of the shooting. His mother said the family had been worried about his safety while the accused remained alive.

“We were concerned about the safety of my son. Now, with Gogoi dead, we are relieved to a great extent,” she said.

Gogoi was arrested shortly after the October 26 shooting, with police seizing a licensed .32-bore pistol allegedly used in the crime.

After completing seven days of police remand in the hotel firing case, Gogoi was produced before a Guwahati court, which remanded him to judicial custody. Hours later, Sivasagar police arrested him in connection with a separate bank fraud case registered in 2024.

He was being taken to Sivasagar for further investigation when the alleged escape attempt led to police firing, in which he was killed.