Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: Family of Raji Raghuvanshi seeks death penalty for wife Sonam and others

Locals look at a poster pasted on a wall paying tribute to Raja Raghuvanshi in the town of Sohra in Meghalaya on June 12. Photo credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

After the Meghalaya Police filed a chargesheet in the murder case of Raja Raghuvanshi, his family in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore demanded death penalty for the main accused and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, her alleged lover Raja Kushwaha and three hired killers.

Talking to reporters, Raj’s brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said that Sonam, Kushwaha and other accused should be given severe punishment. “Our only demand is that all the five accused, including Sonam, Raj Kushwaha and others, should be given the death penalty,” he said.

Honeymoon murder: Meghalaya HC upholds bail to main accused Sonam Raghuvanshi

On Saturday, the Meghalaya Police filed a 790-page charge sheet in a Sohra court against five accused, including Akash Singh Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi, who were allegedly hired to kill Raja, a businessman from Indore during his May honeymoon with Sonam in the northeastern state.

The five accused were charged under Sections 103(1) (murder), 238(a) (causing disappearance of evidence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Vivek Syiem, superintendent of police in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district, said additional charges would be filed against three other men – Lokendra Tomar, Balvir Ahirwar alias Ball and Siloma James – who were later arrested from Madhya Pradesh for allegedly destroying evidence.

Satisfied with the probe: family

Mr. Vipin Raghuvanshi said that he had not yet seen the charges but expressed satisfaction with the investigation of the case by the Meghalaya Police. “I have not read the charge sheet yet. I will travel to Shillong on Monday and plead the charge sheet,” he said.

However, he accused Sonam’s brother Govind of “betraying” the victim’s family. “Earlier he said he would get justice for Raj, but now he is helping Sonam and other accused in the case,” Mr. Vipin said.

Raja and Sonam arrived in Shillong on 21 May for their honeymoon but were reported missing from their home in Sohra on 26 May. After days of extensive searches involving various agencies and local residents, Raj’s body was recovered from a deep ravine near Weisawdong Falls on June 2.

On 8 and 9 June, all the five main accused, including Sonam, who was initially believed to be missing, were arrested in parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Meghalaya Police.

According to the police, the three hitmen carried out the murder in front of Sonam, who was in a relationship with Kushwaha, and the five accused conspired to eliminate Raju during their honeymoon.

Published – 06 Sep 2025 19:30 IST