SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 2025
On Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: Truth Against Trial
Published on Jun 11, 2025
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- The last few weeks have been nothing short of a nightmare for Meghalaya. The reports of a newlywed couple from Indore mysteriously going missing on May 23, while they were on honeymoon in the state, sent shockwaves across the country. The situation took a tragic turn when the lifeless body of the husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, was found murdered in a deep gorge in Sohra earlier this month, while his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, remained untraced. Meghalaya and the entire Northeast, where tourist footfall has seen a noticeable surge over the years due to improved accessibility, promotional efforts, and picturesque landscapes, came under unfair disparagement, with many labelling the region as ‘unsafe’, as if the rest of the country is safer for tourists. Some even termed it a hate crime against “outsiders”, claiming that such incidents are not uncommon in the region. “It’s better for tourists from the plains not to visit the Northeast as a whole. It’s not militancy but the mentality of people that is the main culprit,” commented one individual in an article published by The Times of India on June 6. “It is the job of Christian Missionaries,” wrote another, while some called for a boycott of visiting Meghalaya, terming it a “very dangerous place”. While crime can occur anywhere, it is unfair to demonise the state and the entire region for one tragic incident allegedly orchestrated by the wife of the victim along with her alleged lover. This has nothing to do with Meghalaya or the Northeast, except for the culprits choosing the region to carry out this unthinkable crime at the cost of marring its image and potentially affecting tourism. By the time the victim’s wife and her accomplices were arrested, the harm had already been done. It is unfortunate that even the mainstream media chose to sensationalise the case, entirely relying on assumptions, rather than attempting to uncover the facts. Pretentious praise has a great fall.
- Amid the outrage and fear triggered by the incident, the Meghalaya government and its people handled the situation well- not resorting to political bickering but allowing the law to take its own course. The state police have done a remarkable job in uncovering the case, carrying out the investigation under extreme pressure and erratic weather conditions. The focus in any criminal case should be to unearth the facts and ensure that justice is served. However, in this case, the importance of discovering the facts was undermined, while assumptions, presumptions, and an unfair media trial put an entire region in a bad light. While it is not uncommon to hear reports of tourists being raped and killed in mainland India, there is no data to support patterns of violence claims made against the Northeast region. In fact, the region is relatively much safer for tourists, especially women, than the rest of the country, with Nagaland ranked as the 'safest' state for women in India, according to NCRB data. It is unfortunate that many people, including the media, have jumped the gun to label the region as “unsafe” instead of focusing on finding the truth and ensuring that the culprits are punished according to the law of the land.
Nagaland Districts
