Meghalaya murder: Slain Raja Raghuvanshi's father demands death sentence for all culprits

Indore: The father of honeymooner Raja Raghuvanshi, whose ghastly murder in Meghalaya, allegedly at the behest of his wife Sonam, led to the arrest of four men, on Tuesday demanded the death penalty for all culprits.

Days after Raja's body was found in a gorge in Sohra, Meghalaya, Sonam surrendered before the police in Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh late on Sunday night, while four accused, including suspected conspirator Raja Kushwah, were arrested from different areas of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

"My son died in agony. All the culprits should be hanged to set an example, so that no family loses its son to such crime in future," Raghuvanshi's father Ashok Raghuvanshi told news agency.

Overwhelmed by the tragedy and sordid details emerging during the investigation, the Raghuvanshi senior expressed disbelief over his newly-wed son returning the family's Indore home in a coffin.

"My son's body was mutilated. My family members didn't allow me to have the last glimpse as they were concerned over my heart ailment", he said, struggling to maintain his composure.

Raghuvanshi also claimed that Sonam got her husband murdered to remove the 'Mangal Dosh' in her horoscope so that she could later marry her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, who worked in the furniture sheet business of Sonam's family in Indore.

Dismissing this claim, local astrologer Dheeraj Dixit said "mangal dosh" cannot be removed by the death of one's spouse.

Initially, the family of Raja Raghuvanshi had accused the Meghalaya Police of negligence in expediting the investigations. However, the tone of this family has changed after new details emerged.

Police arrested Akash Rajput (19) from Uttar Pradesh, and Vishal Singh Chauhan (22), Raj Singh Kushwaha (21), the alleged conspirator, and Anand Kurmi from Indore and Sagar.

Raja's elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said he wanted to apologise for giving statements against the Meghalaya government.

"We did not know that Meghalaya Police were conducting a secret operation to nab Raja's killers. We had no intention of defaming the Meghalaya government. We are also grateful to the Madhya Pradesh government for supporting us in difficult times," he added.

After their wedding on May 11 in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to the northeastern state for honeymoon. They disappeared on May 23, hours after checking out of a homestay at Nongriat village, 20 km from where Raja's body was found on June 2.

Raja's relatives identified the body through a distinctive tattoo on his right hand. A woman's white shirt, a strip of medicine, a part of the LCD screen of a mobile phone, and a smartwatch were also seized at the spot, police had said.

Police also recovered a bloodstained machete (dao), which they believe was used in Raja’s murder.

A raincoat also believed to belong to the couple, was recovered from Mawkma village, a few kilometres away from the gorge where Raja's body was found.

Raja's autopsy report revealed that he was hit twice on the head with a sharp object.