Police arrested Ghanakanta Gogoi within an hour of a shooting at Guwahati's Hotel Bilas Inn that left five people dead.

An arrest and a police account are not a conviction. The Indian Express quoted a brother of two of the people who were killed saying he thinks the shooting was planned. NDTV reported that an alleged link between Gogoi and the Assam Police has not been independently verified, and that investigators have not established what started the shooting. Neither story printed a court date.

The Indian Express reported that around 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, Paltan Bazar police station in Guwahati received reports of gunshots at Hotel Bilas Inn. NDTV reported the same hour and the same date, and placed the hotel in Lachit Nagar. The Indian Express reported that Ghanakanta Gogoi, 34, a native of Dibrugarh who had been living at Sawkuchi in Guwahati, was arrested within an hour and was being interrogated. NDTV reported the Guwahati Police Commissionerate said he was traced to the Basistha police station area and taken into custody within about an hour, and that police seized the pistol they say was used. The Indian Express did not print Basistha or the seizure of a pistol. Both reported that officers found four people dead and two injured, and that one of the injured later died while the other was being treated at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. The Indian Express reported the four dead were found when police reached the spot and the two injured were on the approach road. NDTV reported the four dead were in the reception area and the two injured were on the approach road. The Indian Express reported that on Tuesday Assam Police formed a special investigation team "to ensure a thorough, scientific and expeditious investigation."

NDTV named the five who died and printed ages: Bhudev Bharali, 65, Helena Bharali, 58, Debarshi Kashyap, 39, Rinika Kashyap, 30, and Narayan Das, 48. It named the injured survivor as Satyendra Pathak, 43. It reported Helena Bharali, Debarshi Kashyap and Rinika Kashyap lived in Nabin Nagar in Guwahati, and that Bhudev Bharali and Narayan Das were residents of Barpeta. The Indian Express did not print ages. It identified the dead as Bhudev Bharali, his sister Helena, her son Debarshi Kashyap, her daughter-in-law Rinika Kashyap, and family staffer Narayan Das, and it identified Satyendra Pathak as a driver for the family who was injured. It reported Bhudev Bharali, Narayan Das and Pathak had arrived from Barpeta earlier Monday, and that the other victims lived in Guwahati. NDTV's residence lines do not put Pathak in Barpeta. The Indian Express does. NDTV reported four of the five who died were members of the hotel owner's family. The Indian Express reported the same, quoting officials, and reported the bodies were taken to Barpeta for last rites on Monday evening after post-mortem examinations at the medical college.

Both outlets quoted police on the lease. The Indian Express reported senior officers said the owners entered a five-year lease with Gogoi on Sept. 10, 2025, at a monthly rent of about Rs 1.8 lakh, and that after he renovated the property, disagreements arose about the use of the premises and about facilities. NDTV reported a police press release issued Tuesday with the same date, the same term and the same rent, and described the date as September 10 last year. Both reported Assam Police said a meeting was scheduled at the hotel on Oct. 26 to resolve the issues, and that before it formally began an argument became a physical fight and the accused opened fire on six people. NDTV reported police sources said he had operated the hotel for about a year and spent about Rs 35 lakh on renovation, and that sources familiar with the investigation said the owners wanted him to leave while he wanted the renovation money back. The Indian Express did not print those figures. It quoted Dilip Bharali, the elder brother of Bhudev and Helena, saying Gogoi called the meeting to discuss pending dues and renewal of the lease, that payments had been pending for several months, and that the lease was due for renewal. It quoted him: "Gogoi had called us all for the meeting. Bhudev attended it, but I couldn't as I was involved in the affairs of a local puja committee. It appears that Gogoi had planned the attack. He didn't miss a single shot." A relative's reading of the shooting is not a finding. The Indian Express reported empty cartridge cases and live .32-caliber cartridges were recovered. NDTV reported empty cases and live .32-calibre cartridges, and that CID and the forensic science laboratory were examining them. Both reported the special investigation team is headed by Ankur Jain, joint commissioner of police in Guwahati. NDTV printed a six-member roster. The Indian Express reported it is a six-member team and did not print the other names.

NDTV reported police sources said Gogoi has previous pending cases at several stations in Assam, mostly described as fraud and brandishing a weapon. It reported sources referred to an alleged association with the Assam Police, including postings in Dispur and at Basistha, and that his service history and those alleged postings have not been independently verified. It reported sources also referred to an earlier allegation that he displayed a firearm while four or five people threatened a businessman and demanded money, and that the date, whether a case was registered, and any link to Monday's shooting remain unclear. It reported a CCTV clip said to show him firing inside the hotel has circulated, and that the clip has to be examined with witness accounts and forensic findings. It reported the precise sequence, including what started the confrontation, remains under investigation. The police statement is an accusation. The pending cases NDTV described are not convictions printed in that story. No court date was in the Indian Express account or the NDTV account. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.