Barpeta (Assam), 28 October (HS): “Papa, Papa… Mama, Mama…” The cries of two young children echoed through a home in Barpeta, where grief-stricken relatives and neighbours gathered to mourn the loss of four members of the same family in the horrific shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Guwahati. As the mortal remains of the victims returned home, the heartbreaking reality of the tragedy unfolded before a community struggling to come to terms with the devastating loss.

The bodies of Helena Bharali, her elder brother Bhudev Bharali, her son Devarshi Kashyap and daughter-in-law Rinika Kashyap were brought to their residence in Barpeta from the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Later, four funeral pyres were lit together at the Muktidham cremation ground, marking a final farewell to four lives lost in a single act of violence.

Among the most heartbreaking scenes were those involving Devarshi and Rinika's two young children. The elder child, a girl aged around seven to eight years, and her younger brother, just one-and-a-half years old, have been left without their parents. Their innocent calls for their mother and father became a painful reminder of the lives shattered by the tragedy.

The family home, which would ordinarily have been a place of warmth and togetherness, was filled with the cries of grieving relatives and the sorrow of hundreds of people who gathered to pay their last respects. Tears, unanswered questions and a profound sense of loss gripped the locality as the family prepared to bid farewell to its loved ones.

The tragedy followed a shooting at Hotel Bilas Inn in Bora Service, Guwahati, on the night of October 26. According to the information available, the incident allegedly stemmed from a heated dispute over the hotel's lease and management. Ghanakanta Gogoi has been accused of carrying out the shooting.

While five people, including another relative, Narayan Das, reportedly lost their lives in the incident, the deaths of four members of the Bharali family have plunged Barpeta into deep mourning.

Beyond the immediate loss, the tragedy has left behind two children whose childhood has been irrevocably changed. As the four funeral pyres burned together, the grief of one family became the grief of an entire community.

The incident has also triggered widespread anger in the area, with residents and concerned citizens demanding stringent punishment for those found responsible. For the grieving family, however, no punishment can bring back the loved ones they have lost or fill the void left in the lives of two young children.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash