The families of Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi have apologised for any harsh words aimed at the Meghalaya government, police or state as a whole.
In a statement sent to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma with a copy to the Highland Post, Govind Raghuvanshi, brother of Sonam, who is accused of murdering her husband Raja, said that due to the families’ fears, shock and mental state, there were times when the families and well-wishers “occasionally directed our anger towards the Meghalaya government, Meghalaya Police and Meghalaya Tourism, for which we now feel regret.”
The statement added, “Upon calm reflection, it is our honest opinion that neither Meghalaya as a state is bad, nor is its government, police, tourism, or its ordinary Indian citizens. If, in our anxiety and anger, we said anything harsh, our intention was never to deliberately hurt anyone. Had things been normal, we would not have spoken ill of anyone…Our state of mind cannot be understood by those who have not paid such a heavy price. I and all of us regret that we sometimes crossed the line of decorum (Maryaada).”
Sonam is accused of working in conjunction with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha to hire three others to murder Raja while he and Sonam were in Meghalaya on their honeymoon.
While the media in Indore reported that Sonam’s family had cut ties with her and believes her to be guilty, Govind’s written statement to the press holds out some hope that she still could be innocent.
“Looking at the murder and the sequence of events, we feel that there could be more accused – this is a matter for investigation. This could also be a major conspiracy. It is possible that the mastermind is not yet visible,” he said.
Govind added that, while the strictest punishment (even the death penalty) should be handed down to the perpetrators (including his sister if guilty), the family urges that ‘narco-analysis, polygraph and brain mapping’ tests be carried out on the suspects to arrive at the truth regarding the precise roles and charges in the crime. These tests should preferably be shown live to the public for full transparency, he stated. Govind also urged the Meghalaya police and government to ensure that Sonam’s dignity is maintained during the pre-trial process and her constitutional rights be upheld. He urged the media not to declare her guilty until the trial is over and encouraged her to speak the truth and cooperate with the investigation.
WEDDING DATE RUSHED
Govind also provided other details of interest in the case.
He stated that no undue pressure was put on Sonam and Raja by their respective families to get married. However, he did reveal that the wedding was rushed somewhat as May 11 this year (the day the couple got married) was the last auspicious date for the next three years. The pair were thus “lovingly persuaded” to get married.
RAJ KUSHWAHA TRUSTED HARD WORKER
He also said that Kushwaha had been a hard worker in the family firm and was a trusted employee. While the Raghuvanshis are Kshatriyas, Kushwaha was an OBC (Other Backward Caste). He and Sonam were seen talking together but this was believed to be work-related and the family believed that theirs was a “brother-sister relationship”.
Govind went on to say that Kushwaha appeared to be “somewhat impressed” by the family’s wealth and may have had aspirations towards it.
SONAM RANG GOVIND FROM UP
As Sonam’s family had already stated, she had rung up Govind from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh on the night of June 8-9. At the time, Govind was in Meghalaya as the authorities here were still searching for her.
Following the short phone call, he contacted UP police, who took Sonam into their care (she was formally arrested only later by Meghalaya police). Govind travelled to Ghazipur and met his sister for only a few minutes. It was later that he found out that she was a suspect in the murder.
