The Shillong Police are intensifying their interrogation of Sonam Raghuvanshi and four other accused Raj Kushwaha, Akash Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan, and Anand Kurmi in the brutal murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi. Meanwhile, on Friday Raja’s family arrived in Ujjain to perform his ‘Pinddaan’ for the salvation of his soul at the sacred Vat Ghat on the Kshipra river. Govind Raghuvanshi, Sonam’s brother, participated in the rituals alongside Raja’s family, offering milk to Lord Siddhnath, feeding crows, and providing fodder to cows, all performed for Raja’s peace. Speaking to the media,

 

Govind expressed regret, stating, “If I had known about Sonam and Raj Kushwaha’s relationship earlier, I would have arranged their marriage or told them to elope. There was no pressure from our family on Sonam. She was a free-spirited girl. Even now,

 

I consider Raja’s family my own, not just in-laws.” He added that Sonam’s stubborn and temperamental nature was well-known, and her actions had tarnished the reputation of Indore and Madhya Pradesh. “If she is guilty, she deserves the death penalty,” he said, emphasising that her crime was unforgivable. Raja and Sonam, married on May 11, in Indore, travelled to Shillong, Meghalaya, for their honeymoon on May 20. Their last contact with family was on May 23. On June 2, Raja’s body was found in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in Sohra, bearing fatal head injuries inflicted by a sharp weapon. Sonam remained missing for 17 days until she surrendered on June 9 in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh. Police allege Sonam orchestrated the murder with her lover, Raj Kushwaha, and three accomplices, planning the crime 11 days before her wedding.

 

The group confessed to the killing, which took place on May 23 in a parking lot near Wahkdait, where Raja was attacked with a machete after failed attempts to push him off a cliff. Raja’s brother, Vipin Raghuvanshi, shared that the family visited Ujjain to perform Pinddaan 10 days after Raja’s death. When Govind expressed his desire to join, they welcomed him, acknowledging his remorse over Sonam’s actions. The rituals at Siddhnath Temple and Vat Ghat were conducted with solemnity, reflecting the family’s grief and hope for Raja’s peace.