'If Meghalaya’s image was hurt, I regret it': Indore Mayor on honeymoon murder case

Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava on Wednesday expressed regret if public outrage in Madhya Pradesh over the murder of local businessman Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya had negatively impacted the north-eastern state's image or tourism sector.

The mayor also said Raghuvanshi's murder is unfortunate and asserted that tourists are safe in the northeast. According to the Meghalaya Police, Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi's wife Sonam (25) was allegedly involved in the conspiracy to murder him with her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha (20). The duo had hired three killers to execute the plan.

Raja Raghuvanshi (29) and his wife Sonam got married in Indore on May 11. They went missing during their honeymoon in Meghalaya on May 23.

Raghuvanshi's body was found in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of the East Khasi Hills district on June 2.

Sonam and her aides were arrested in Indore, Madhya Pradesh and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh recently for their alleged role in conspiring and killing Raghuvanshi.

After the disappearance of the newly married couple, many people in Indore reacted sharply, questioning the investigation of the Meghalaya Police and the safety of tourists in the north-eastern state.

Referring to the reactions, Mayor Bhargava said, "If for any reason the image or tourism of Meghalaya or any other area of the north-east has been affected, then I express regret over it." He said the Meghalaya Police acted promptly and solved the murder case within a few days, for which he is grateful to them.

"I myself have lived in the north-east for some time and believe tourism is safe there. We all should take care that tourism in Meghalaya is not affected in any way," he said.

Raja Raghuvanshi's murder is unfortunate, and it should not be linked to any particular place, the mayor said. "This incident is a matter of introspection for us. We will communicate with the local people through various programmes so that they stay away from blindly following the western culture and such incidents do not occur in future." (PTI)