Guwahati, Oct 31 The Assam government on Saturday transferred three out of the six senior police officers, who were part of a special investigating team (SIT) probing the Guwahati hotel firing incident in which five people were killed.
Besides, one more senior officer has been transferred from the Guwahati Central police district, where the hotel is located.
According to an order issued by the Home Department, seven senior police officers were transferred across the state with immediate effect.
It includes Guwahati Police’s DCP (Central) Shambhavi Mishra and Additional DCP (Central) Viku L Achumi, who will join as the new Commandant of 6th Assam Police Battalion (APBn) at Kathal in Cachar and Second-in-Command of 28th APBn at Howly in Barpeta, respectively.
They have been replaced by Lachit Barphukan Police Academy Principal Mrinal Deka and Lakhipur co-district Superintendent of Police Prithwiraj Rajkhowa, respectively, said the notification signed by Home and Political Additional Chief Secretary Ajay Tewari.
The incumbent Commandant of 6th APBn, Pradip Saikia will join the headquarters as the Assistant Inspector General (Administration), it added.
Paltan Bazar police station officer-in-charge and Inspector Kuleshjyoti Bhuyan, who was in the SIT, was also transferred from his post to the Border Branch of Assam Police, an order from the headquarters said.
His replacement has not been announced yet.
Partha Pratim Duwarah, the Assistant Commissioner of Police of Panbazar in Guwahati Central has also been transferred to the 1st APBn at Ligiripukhuri in Sivasagar.
He will be replaced by Rishav Phukan, the Deputy Superintendant of Police at 1st Commando Battalion at Mandakata, the order said.
Five people, including four from a business family, were killed and another person was injured in a shootout at Hotel Bilas Inn in Bora Service area on the arterial GS Road in Guwahati on Monday night over a dispute between the owners of the property and its leaseholder over the management of the hotel.
The Assam Police formed an SIT to probe the firing incident, with the bereaved family alleging the attack was planned and demanding exemplary punishment for the accused.
Joint Police Commissioner of Guwahati, Ankur Jain, was heading the six-member SIT, while the other members were DCP (Central) Shambhavi Mishra, DCP (Crime) Debajit Nath, ADCP (Central) Viku L Achumi, Paltan Bazar police station officer-in-charge, Inspector Kuleshjyoti Bhuyan, and Sub-inspector Abinash Das of the same police precinct.
Earlier in the morning, the wife of the prime accused in the firing incident presented herself before the police in Dhemaji district of Assam.
Though there was no lookout notice for her, Guwahati Police had been searching for her for questioning since the shooting took place.
The leaseholder, Ghanakanta Gogoi (34), was arrested soon after the incident with a licensed .32-bore pistol allegedly used in the crime.
A local court in Guwahati late on Tuesday night remanded the accused to seven days in police custody. He will be produced before the court again on November 3.
The deceased were identified as Bhudev Bharali (65), his sister Helena (58), her son Debarshi Kashyap (39) and daughter-in-law Rinika Kashyap (30), and family staffer Narayan Das (48). A driver of the Bharali family, Satyendra Pathak (43), was also injured in the shooting.
According to a police statement issued later, the Bharali family had entered into a five-year lease agreement with the accused on September 10, 2025, at a monthly rent of approximately Rs 1.8 lakh.
Following renovation of the property by the accused, disagreements arose regarding the use of the premises and provision of certain facilities, it added.
A meeting was scheduled at the hotel on Monday to resolve these issues. However, even before the meeting could commence, an argument escalated into a physical fight, following which Gogoi opened fire on six people, the statement added.
(PTI News)
