Guwahati: Neither advocate Biraj Kardong nor the family of Guwahati hotel shooting case accused Ghanakanta Gogoi knew that he would be shown arrested by a police team from Sivasagar and taken to the upper Assam district for production, the advocate said.Gogoi was killed in police firing in Sivasagar after he allegedly tried to escape custody by snatching a police weapon and firing at the police team.“The last status of the Hotel Bilas Inn shooting case was that the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (Metro), on Tuesday sent the accused to judicial custody for 14 days. We were totally unaware that he would be shown arrested and taken to Sivasagar in a separate case registered there while he was lodged at Guwahati Central Jail. We did not even get time to approach the court seeking protection for the accused,” Kardong said.He said Gogoi’s family could file a case alleging custodial death and seek compensation, if they wished.“His fundamental right to a free and fair trial was violated. Neither did I say that Gogoi had not committed the crime, nor did he deny committing it. Otherwise, he would not have surrendered before the police,” Kardong said.He said the police firing was not only directed at Gogoi but also amounted to an attack on the judiciary and the Constitution of India.“A strong chargesheet should have been submitted so that the accused could receive exemplary punishment through the court. That could have been a case for law students to study in the future,” he said.“There is serious doubt about the conduct of the police officers,” Kardong added.Gogoi allegedly shot dead five people, including the co-owners of Hotel Bilas Inn in Ulubari, on Oct 26 evening following a heated argument over alleged financial disputes.He took the hotel on lease in Sept last year at a monthly rent of Rs 1.8 lakh for five years.
