Family members of late Raja Raghuvanshi, who was murdered in Shillong on 23 May, performed his ‘Pind Daan Tarpan’ (Hindu ritual to appease ancestors) at Ujjain, accompanied by Govind, brother of Raja’s wife Sonam, on Friday.
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 to kill Raja.
Raja’s brothers Vipin and Sachin today went to the Siddhvat ghat at Ujjain from their hometown Indore, along with Govind and other family members to perform the rituals to bring peace to the departed soul.
Sachin Raghuvanshi said they performed rituals of Tarpan for Raja at Ujjain. He stated that Sonam’s brother, Govind, was also with them, as he had no clue about Sonam’s alleged involvement in the conspiracy to get her husband murdered.
Govind Raghuvanshi also reiterated that he stands with the late Raja’s family to ensure justice for him.
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 from there on 23 May. Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) area on 2 June.
The Meghalaya police registered a case of murder and launched investigations.
Meanwhile, Sonam remained missing for the next seven days, despite extensive search operations.
In the wee hours of 9 June, Sonam 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 that, 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 four men, Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput, on transit remand from a Court at Indore and reached Shillong late at night on 10 June.
All five accused were produced in the District and Sessions Court of Shillong on 11 June.
The police requested their remand, after which the court granted an 8-day police custody for all the accused, including Sonam.