A poster outside the home of transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was discovered dead in Meghalaya on June 2 reads: ‘The soul of Raja calls to the central government and the state government, I am not dead, I have been murdered, CBI inquiry should be held’.
The banner has wedding pictures of Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam who went missing on May 23 at Sohra (Cherrapunji), East Khasi Hills district, after they were there for their honeymoon. In their demand for a CBI inquiry into the matter, the family of the couple alleged that Raja was murdered.
Officials said Raja’s body was recovered from a deep gorge near a waterfall while Raja’s wife is still being searched for. They said the couple went missing just hours after they left a guest house in Nongriat village.
Officials said the Meghalaya police have booked an FIR on murder charges and set up a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the case. They said the police have recovered a blood-soaked machete, which they believe was used to murder Raja.
‘Brother Gone, But Govt Should Find My Sister-In-Law’
“This is a case of murder of my brother. I have only one demand from the government that the mystery should be unraveled by getting it investigated by the CBI. I have lost my brother, but I do not want to lose my sister-in-law Sonam. The government should find my sister-in-law at any cost. I have been demanding from the beginning that the army’s help should be taken in the search operation,” Raja’s elder brother Sachin Raghuvanshi told reporters.
Sachin said his brother’s body had decomposed so much that it was difficult to identify it from the face. “My brother had his name Raja tattooed on his hand. Since it rains a lot in Meghalaya, he went there wearing my waterproof smartwatch. When he was found dead, the watch was on his wrist. This also helped in identifying him,” he said.
He stated he suspects the hotel-restaurant staff, guides and two wheeler rental people in Meghalaya may have kidnapped the two with the intention of robbing them; the police should question them thoroughly, he said.
“Along with my brother’s wallet, the gold chain and ring he was wearing when he went to Meghalaya for his honeymoon are also missing,” he added. Raja’s family is in the transport business in Indore. He married Sonam in Indore on May 11 and the couple travelled to Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon.
What Do We Know?
Officials said the couple arrived at Mawlakhiyat village on a rented scooter on May 22. They parked their scooter and visited the famous ‘Living Root Bridge’ in Nongriat village, where they slept overnight and departed the next morning.
The couple’s scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the Shillong to Sohra road on May 24. Local police were then alerted and an initial search operation was assembled with the assistance of local residents, according to the Meghalaya police.
Raja’s body was sent to his hometown of Indore on Wednesday evening (June 4). During the cremation, his family continued to protest for a CBI probe and threatened to protest if they do not get a response. Those who attended Raja’s funeral march also chanted slogans for a CBI inquiry.
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