Guwahati: The Guwahati Police Commissionerate has constituted a six-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn that left five people dead and one injured, with investigators examining a dispute over the hotel’s lease and management.

Police announced the SIT on Tuesday, a day after the shooting on October 26. The accused, identified as Ghanakanta Gogoi, 34, allegedly opened fire on six people during a meeting convened to resolve disagreements over the hotel’s management issues.

The shooting took place at the hotel in the South Sarania area of Ulubari at around 9 pm. Police teams rushed to the scene and found four people dead in the reception area and two others injured on the approach road. One of the injured later succumbed to his injuries at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

The deceased were identified as Bhudev Bharali, 65, and Narayan Das, 48, both residents of Barpeta, and Helena Bharali, 58, her son Debarshi Kashyap, 39, and daughter-in-law Rinika Kashyap, 30, all residents of Nabin Nagar in Guwahati. Satyendra Pathak, 43, the hotel’s caretaker, sustained critical injuries and is undergoing treatment at GMCH.

According to police, the incident followed a dispute over the hotel’s lease and management. The meeting had been scheduled to address disagreements concerning the hotel’s management and the lease agreement, which was nearing its end.

The crime scene was secured, and teams from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were deployed to collect evidence. Police recovered and seized several empty cartridge cases and live cartridges of .32 calibre.

The six-member SIT will be headed by Joint Commissioner of Police Ankur Jain, IPS. Its other members are Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shambhavi Mishra, IPS; Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Debajit Nath, APS; Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Viku Achumi, IPS; Paltan Bazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Inspector Kuleshjyoti Bhuyan; and Sub-Inspector Abinash Das.

The team will examine forensic evidence, record witness statements and investigate the circumstances leading to the shooting. Gogoi is currently being interrogated by the investigating officer as police work to establish the sequence of events and the motive behind the firing.