GUWAHATI: Meghalaya Police have filed a 790-page charge sheet in the Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.
The charge sheet was filed in a local court against Raghuvanshi’s wife Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha (both prime accused) and three hitmen – Akash Singh Rajput, Vishal Singh Chauhan and Anand Kurmi.
Sonam and Kushwaha were booked under Sections 103(1), 238(a) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These sections deal with charges relating to murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence or giving false information.
A supplementary charge sheet will be filed against three other accused – Lokendra Tomar, Balla Ahirwar and Silome James – for allegedly destroying evidence. They were arrested from different parts of Madhya Pradesh, weeks after the murder.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said Sonam had an affair with Kushwaha, and she conspired with him and the three hitmen to murder her husband during their honeymoon trip to the picturesque Sohra (Cherrapunjee).
Earlier, the police had stated that Sonam, Kushwaha and the hitmen confessed to their involvement in the murder.
Raghuvanshi and Sonam had arrived in Meghalaya on May 22. They were reported missing the next day after they had left for Sohra on a scooter they rented in Shillong. On June 2, the police had recovered the body of Raghuvanshi from a deep gorge near the Weisawdong Falls in Sohra. Subsequently, two machetes, allegedly used in the murder, were recovered.
The post-mortem report revealed two cut marks on Raghuvanshi’s head. After the recovery of the body, the Meghalaya government had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Sonam remained underground until resurfacing in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh in the wee hours of June 9. Subsequently, she was arrested. The SIT arrested Kushwaha and the hitmen from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
After the breakthrough in the mysterious death case, residents and officials in Meghalaya demanded a public apology, not just from the couple’s families but also from a section of the media and social media users, for allegedly “tarnishing” the image of the hill state that relies heavily on tourism.
Raja's family demanded the death penalty for Sonam and the other accused.
Talking to news agency PTI in Indore, Raja's elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "My family has only one demand, that is, along with Sonam and Kushwaha, all the accused be sentenced to death."
He said his family was yet to see the detailed charge sheet, but was satisfied with the police investigation and believed that the charges slapped against the accused were strong.
After Sonam's arrest, her elder brother Govind had visited the Raja's house on June 11 and broke down, claiming his family had severed ties with her and that he would himself fight the legal battle to secure justice for the deceased.
Vipin, however, alleged that Govind lied to protect his own business interests.
"Govind had said he would stand with our family, but we came to know that he had hired a lawyer to defend Sonam," he said.
Vipin said his family has also roped in a lawyer to pursue the case.
(With inputs from PTI)
