When Narrative Clouds Reality, Data Tells a Broader Truth About Meghalaya

India is yet to come out of the shock of the terrible event that killed 26 tourists in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22 of this year. One picture in particular, of a newlywed woman sitting quietly next to her husband's lifeless body, shocked the nation and the entire world. Only seven days after getting married, Vinay Narwal, the 26-year-old who passed away, decided to take a honeymoon in Kashmir.

In the midst of this tragedy, public attention has been drawn to a new incident. According to the media reports, an Indore-based couple namely Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife Sonam Raghuvansh,i came to Meghalaya for their honeymoon after getting married on 11^th May, 2025. The couple from Sohra, which is in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya, had reportedly disappeared on 23^rd May. Since then, a section of media houses and social media users made numerous failure attempts to propagate a narrative that Meghalaya is no longer a safe destination for tourists. During this unfortunate incident, news reports and social media posts inundated the online world with an indication that local people or tourist guides may have been involved in this case, despite the lack of concrete evidence. The Meghalaya police administration was criticised as ‘incompetent’ or ‘slow’.

Notably, following the discovery of Raja Raghuvanshi’s dead body, the propaganda backed by false allegations reached at its zenith. Some half-educated individuals, who have no clear understanding about the place of occurrence (Sohra) as well as the state of Meghalaya, subjected the people of Meghalaya, Khashi community in particular, to an unjust media trial. However, followed by a strong intervention by the East Khashi Hill administration and local police, the truth was unearthed and consequently, the narrative began losing stem. Although the truth is yet to be legally established, the confession of the wife of the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi and other accused persons certainly provided a great relief to the people of Meghalaya. It is anticipated that the actual motives will soon be revealed and law will take its own course against the accused individuals. Over time, new headlines will replace this ‘Meghalaya Honeymoon Murder Case’ (?), but the festering wounds led by the false propaganda on the psyche of Meghalaya society will persist.

Also Read: A state wronged: When Meghalaya became the scapegoat of a gruesome murder

Let us examine a prevalent myth, before addressing the false propaganda. A general perception about Meghalaya among the people of the other parts of the country is often popular that the economy of the state is predominantly sustained by tourism. However, data contradict the notion as tourism contributes about 4.1 per cent to the total gross state domestic product (GSDP) of the state. Around 50,000 people, accounts for only 1.68 per cent of the total population, earn their livelihood from tourism (Source: Meghalaya Tourism Policy-2023).  According to the latest available estimations, this small state recorded the highest growth (506.93 per cent) rate in domestic tourist visits between 2021 and 2022 within the North-East region. The growth rate of Meghalaya was much higher than that of the average growth rate of the region (See chart 1).

Chart 1

Source: India Tourism Statistics, 2023

 

Is Meghalaya really unsafe for tourists?

 

From the outset, a section of renowned national media houses was overzealous to make the story ‘sensationalise’-framing the state as ‘dangerous hill’, ‘unsafe terrain’, ‘crime-prone destination’ etc.   However, the data itself demonstrates how tourist-friendly the state is. The recent safety concern regarding tourists in Meghalaya would be crystal clear by a comparison with the top five Indian states that recorded the highest number of domestic tourist foot fall in 2022 (This is the latest data released by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). As exhibited in chart 2, Uttar Pradesh recorded highest number of domestic tourist visits (317.91 million) in 2022, followed by Tamil Nadu (218.58 million), Andhra Pradesh (192.72 million), Karnataka (182.41 million) and Gujarat (135.81 million). During the same period, these 5 states accounted for about 60.4 per cent of the total domestic tourist visits in the country.  

Chart 2

Source: India Tourism Statistics, 2023

 

The National Crime Records Bureau reveals an intriguing insight into the safety of tourists in Indian states. However, it considers only the foreigner tourists. Despite the limitation, the data is instrumental in countering the recent propaganda against Meghalaya. Figures in table 1show that Karnataka registered 28 cases of crime against international tourists in 2022, compared to 27 cases in 2021 and 19 cases in2020. Despite a consistent decline, Tamil Nadu recorded 5 cases in 2022, as opposed to 28 cases in 2020 and 16 cases in 2021. Andhra Pradesh recorded only one case in 2022. Although numbers are negligible, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat documented several incidents against foreign tourists. While top five destination states are not fully safe for tourists, Meghalaya stands out with zero reported incidents against tourists.

                                    Table 1

No of crime against tourists (foreigners)
State	2020	2021	2022
Uttar Pradesh	5	0	3
Tamil Nadu	28	16	5
Andhra Pradesh	0	0	1
Karnataka	19	27	28
Gujarat	3	1	2
Meghalaya	0	0	0

Source: National Crime Records Bureau, 2023

 

Karnataka ranked as fourth most popular tourist destination, also emerges as the top unsafe state for tourists, accounting for highest share (14.58 per cent) of the total crime against tourists in 2022 (Source: NCRB, 2023). While these top five states accounted for 60.4 per cent of the total tourist visits in 2022, they also accounted for nearly 20.31 per cent of the total crime against tourists in the same year. On this contrary, Meghalaya emerges as one of the safe states for tourists, without recording any crime against the visitors over the three-year period from 2020 to 2022. Would the propagandists be so kind as to urge tourists to think twice before planning a visit to those states?

Where Assumptions Fall, Data Stand

It is quite normal for the poor souls to assume the likelihood of being kidnapped or abducted, since the majority of the population is tribal. Regrettably, a section of mainstream media and social media influencers started asserting that the Indore-based couple might have been kidnapped or abducted by the local people.  Let us debunk the ‘Goebbels-style smear campaign’ through the statistical evidences. What do data speak about such cases in Meghalaya? According to the NCRB report, Meghalaya constituted only 0.14 per cent of the total kidnaping and abduction cases in India (see chart 3).

 

Chart 3

Source: National Crime Records Bureau, 2023

In contrast, Uttar Pradesh, a tourist destination, accounted for 16.16 per cent of the total registered kidnapping and abduction cases in India. Meanwhile, four other tourist states such as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, together constitute about 6.8 per cent of the total cases in 2022 (see chart 3).  Interestingly, Madhya Pradesh, the home state of Raja Rahvanshi and his wife, accounts for 10 per cent of the total registered kidnapping and abduction cases in India.

This illustrates how the continuous Goebbels-style smear campaign, initially may have echoed loudly, stands exposed and discredited by the weight of facts and figures. It is not the national media or so-called social media influencers, but statistical evidence that speaks for the Meghalaya people. I am left wondering: Would they bother reading the data, if so, will they ever apologise for misleading the nation? 

The way forward

Undoubtedly, it was a first-time lesson for the administration of Meghalaya, which had never before witnessed any crimes against tourists. The registration (online or offline) can be made compulsory for every tourist, upon entering the state. Accordingly, Government of Meghalaya could issue a tourist card demonstrating full itineraries,making it mandatory for booking of hotels, homestays or vehicles. Last but not least, it is the Meghalaya police who uncovered the truth, with the invaluable support of the local people. The heart and soul of Meghalaya society are as crystal as the water of Umngot River and as pure as the cleanliness of Mollynnong village. Rest assured, Meghalaya is always ready to accept you as an esteemed guest, with a warm Khublei.

 

(The author is an assistant professor at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Assam Downtown University, Guwahati. He can be contacted at mrinal.mrmd2012@gmail.com)