A national daily and electronic media channels have issued public apologies to the people of Meghalaya after recent reports drew backlash for misrepresenting the state.
The Times of India, in a statement published in its Bhopal edition, expressed regret for using the term “crime-prone hills”.
“We understand that the term upset the sentiments of the people of Meghalaya. We apologise,” The paper clarified it had no intention of generalising or portraying the entire state negatively, and has since removed the term from its online article.
Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami issued an on-air apology for misreporting and inappropriate remarks about Meghalaya, acknowledging the mistake.
Vipin Raghuvanshi, the elder brother of Raja Raghuvanshi also tendered an apology for giving statements against the Meghalaya government and the police. He acknowledged that the initial shock and frustration led him to make statements that may have hurt the sentiments of the people of Meghalaya.
“I want to apologise to the Meghalaya government that because of Sonam Raghuvanshi, the image of Meghalaya has been tarnished,”
Numerous unsubstantiated accusations were made since the police began their search for the couple and after the body of Raja was recovered. These included that police were not investigating the matter thoroughly, that the case would not be solved without the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Sonam had probably been kidnapped and taken to Bangladesh.
