Gaurav Gogoi links Guwahati shooting to law and order concerns across Northeast

Assam Congress president and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi on October 27 criticised the BJP over the law and order situation in the Northeast, linking the fatal shooting near Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati to what he described as growing chaos and violence across Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Reacting to the October 26 shooting in Guwahati’s Ulubari area, which left five people dead and another person injured, Gogoi said the incident was “absolutely shocking and very disturbing”.

Speaking to the media, he alleged that the political climate in the region was contributing to a growing sense of lawlessness.

“We can see that over the past few years there is a spirit of lawlessness that is growing in Assam, in the states of the North East. This is happening because the political climate itself is being poisoned by the people that BJP have appointed in the states in North East,” Gogoi said.

Referring to Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, he added, “Whether it’s Manipur, Assam, Arunachal, there’s a lot of chaos, a lot of unprecedented violence.”

Gogoi further questioned the BJP’s choice of leaders for positions of authority, saying, “In society one has to be very careful of who we appoint in positions of authority, especially in the government as ministers, as chief ministers. Here the BJP have clearly not done their homework.”

Accusing the BJP of prioritising alleged illegal syndicates over public welfare, he said, “They only care about running illegal syndicates and exploiting people. This is why when you have people of dubious nature in positions of power, the society itself gets disturbed. And that’s what we’re seeing across the North East.”

In a separate post on X, Gogoi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and raised concerns about public safety in Guwahati. He called on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, to take responsibility and pay greater attention to rising crime.

Gogoi also urged the authorities to bring those responsible to justice and take concrete measures to prevent similar incidents.

Police suspect property dispute

Meanwhile, Guwahati Police Commissioner Dr Partha Sarathi Mahanta confirmed that the accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, had been arrested. Preliminary investigations suggest that the shooting may have stemmed from a property dispute linked to the lease agreement of Hotel Bilas Inn.

The firing took place at around 9 pm on October 26. Four of the five deceased belonged to the same family, while another person was also killed. One additional person sustained injuries and was taken to hospital.

At Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Principal-cum-Chief Superintendent (in-charge) Prof. Dr Babul Kumar Bezbaruah said the hospital received information about the incident between 9 pm and 9.30 pm.

“One person had been brought dead,” Bezbaruah said, identifying the deceased as Narayan Das, aged around 48. He said the initial examination revealed an injury to Das’s lip, with the bullet apparently entering his body without an exit wound.

A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory also visited the scene as part of the investigation. Police are continuing their inquiry to establish the sequence of events and the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Gogoi’s remarks have added a wider political dimension to the incident, with the Congress raising concerns about law enforcement and public safety across the Northeast. His allegations against the BJP remain political claims, while the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.