Family members of Raja Raghuvanshi, who was murdered in Meghalaya on 23 May, performed his ‘tehravi’ at his home in Indore on Monday.
The tehravi, a Hindu ritual, is usually performed on the 13th day of a person’s death with prayers and a feast. However, as Raja’s body was found in the Sohra area of Meghalaya on 2 June and he was cremated in Indore on 4 June, his family performed the tehravi on Monday.
According to Raja’s elder brother, Sachin, the family prepared all the dishes that Raja was fond of. They prepared rice, dal, noodles, manchurian, gulab jamun, and also procured bananas, papaya, and dry fruits for the occasion.
The family members said this was a very sombre event which was attended by only family members and very close relatives.
Govind Raghuvanshi, the brother of Raja’s wife Sonam, was also present on the occasion.
Prayers were offered on the occasion in front of Raja’s garlanded photograph. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and five men are currently lodged in a jail at Shillong, Meghalaya. The Meghalaya Police are interrogating them on charges of allegedly conspiring and killing Raja.
Raja Raghuvanshi (29) and Sonam (25), both from Indore, got married on 11 May. They reached Shillong in Meghalaya on 20 May, for their honeymoon. However, both went missing there on 23 May. Later, Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) area on 2 June. Following the recovery of the body, the Meghalaya Police registered a case of murder and launched investigations into the case.
Meanwhile, Sonam remained missing for the next seven days, despite extensive search operations. In the wee hours of 9 June, she was located at a dhaba at Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh. She was initially detained and subsequently arrested, on suspicion of being the main mastermind behind her husband’s murder.
Following her detention, four more accused were arrested, including three suspected hired killers from Indore and Bina in Madhya Pradesh, and another suspect from Uttar Pradesh.
The Meghalaya Police took all the four men, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput, on a transit remand from a Court at Indore and reached Shillong late night on 10 June.
All five accused were produced in the District and Sessions Court of Shillong on 11 June.