Ghanakanta Gogoi dies after police firing in Assam

Ghanakanta Gogoi, accused in the October 26 shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati that killed five people, died after police shot him during a transfer in Assam’s Sivasagar district on Wednesday, November 4. Police said he had tried to seize an officer’s service weapon, triggering a scuffle in which an officer was injured and another officer opened fire. Senior Superintendent of Police Papori Chetia said Gogoi was being transported to Sivasagar in connection with a separate case when he asked to get out of the vehicle to relieve himself. Police allege he then tried to take the investigating officer’s pistol. Chetia said a personal security officer fired to protect the injured officer. Gogoi was taken to hospital and declared dead, according to the police account. The account of the encounter in the reports comes from police; no independent eyewitness account or other separate evidence establishing how the confrontation unfolded was provided. Police said rounds were fired during the struggle. The investigating officer was taken for treatment, and his condition was reported stable in one account. Gogoi had been in police custody over the hotel shooting. After his seven-day...