The Meghalaya police on Tuesday got transit remand of the four accused in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, even as voices grew louder demanding a public apology — not just from the bereaved families, but also from sections of the media and social media users accused of defaming the north eastern state.

On Tuesday, the police produced Anand Kurmi – the fourth accused arrested from Basahari village in Bina, Madhya Pradesh – in an Indore court, which approved his transit custody till June 16 and handed him to the Meghalaya Police.

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Earlier on Monday evening, three accused – Raj Kushwaha, Vishal Chauhan, and Akash Rajput – were presented before Chief Judicial Magistrate Shashank Singh in Indore. The court granted a seven-day remand for them.

Indore Crime Branch DCP Rajesh Dandotia said that the Meghalaya Police would take all the four accused with them on the basis of the transit custody.

Sources said that the police teams recovered a pair of jeans and a shirt, reportedly worn by Vishal during the crime. The police will send the clothes for forensic examination. They also said that all the accused used to meet often at a ground located in Scheme No.155 area of Indore.

The accused were using new mobiles and SIM cards, the sources added. According to them, Sonam had come to Indore by train from Shillong via Siliguri on May 25 after her husband’s murder.

In Indore, she met her reported lover, Raj Kushwaha, and stayed in his rented room. A driver dropped her in Varanasi, from where she reached Ghazipur. However, the police said they have not yet found any information corroborating this. According to ACP Yadav, the police have not yet found any evidence of Sonam coming to Indore after the murder.

Meanwhile, Meghalaya Health Minister and senior BJP leader Alexander Laloo Hek applauded the state police for solving the case within a week, revealing that Raja was allegedly killed in a premeditated murder plotted by his wife, Sonam (24), who surrendered after three men from Madhya Pradesh were arrested.

“The truth has come out, and Meghalaya Police deserve full credit,” said Hek. “But now, the families of Raja and Sonam must issue a public apology for painting the state in a bad light. Their allegations, along with irresponsible media coverage, hurt the dignity of our people and the reputation of Meghalaya as a peaceful tourist destination. If they fail to apologise, we may have to consider legal action for defamation.”

Tourism stakeholders echoed the sentiment, stating that the unfounded suspicions directed at Meghalaya and its people threatened to damage the hard-earned image of the state as a premier travel destination.

Larsing Ming Sawyan, president of the Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum, said, “The last few weeks have been agonising. Wild speculation, especially by some national media channels and social media influencers, projected Meghalaya as unsafe. Now that it’s clear the crime was orchestrated by outsiders, we expect a sincere apology.”

Alan West Kharkongor of the Meghalaya Rural Tourism Forum also slammed the media narrative that vilified the local population. “Such baseless accusations not only hurt sentiments but also have economic consequences. We expect accountability from the media and the families involved.”

Tour Operators’ Association of Meghalaya president Banlum Blah added, “Our brand — Meghalaya as the ‘Scotland of the East’ — has taken a hit. But we are hopeful this vindication will help restore confidence among domestic and international tourists.”

The Meghalaya Police launched a swift investigation after Raja was found dead in the early days of June.

Following intense tracking and interrogation, three men from Madhya Pradesh were arrested, and Sonam later surrendered to authorities. Police sources suggest that a suspected extramarital affair and a financial motive — including Raja carrying gold jewellery — could have been behind the murder.

Police are currently on the lookout for one more suspect believed to be involved in the crime.

With the facts now emerging and the narrative turning, Meghalaya’s leaders and tourism voices are united in their demand — those who jumped to conclusions must apologise.

“The state is not just geography, it is its people, its pride,” said Hek. “And that must be respected.”

Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam, both from Indore, got married on 11 May. They reached Shillong in Meghalaya on their honeymoon on 20 May before going missing on 23 May. Raja’s body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) area on 2 June.

In the wee hours of 9 June, Sonam was located at a dhaba at Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh. She was initially detained before being arrested subsequently on suspicion of being the mastermind in her husband’s murder case.