Meghalaya civil society group seeks apology from Sonam's family for 'tarnishing' state's image

Shillong, Influential Shillong-based civil society group CoMSO on Monday demanded an apology from the family of Sonam, who was arrested in the murder case of her husband Raja Raghuvanshi, alleging that they defamed the people of Meghalaya and tried to tarnish the image of a state dependent on tourism.
The Confederation of Meghalaya Social Organisations chairman Roy Kupar Synrem alleged that Sonam's family made calculated efforts to politicise a personal tragedy, exploit the press, and generate anti-Meghalaya sentiments nationwide.
He also renewed the demand for the implementation of the Inner Line Permit system, maintaining that it would help in keeping a tab on people entering the state and regulate the flow of tourists, which would ensure greater security.
Police nabbed five people, including Sonam, in the murder of Raghuvanshi, who was killed while honeymooning in Sohra in the East Khasi Hills district.
Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2, while a search for his wife was underway. Sonam emerged in the early hours in UP's Ghazipur and surrendered before the police as the investigators nabbed the others allegedly involved in the crime that shook the nation.
Expressing deep distress over attempts to tarnish the image of the people of the state, Synrem said, "We also renew our constitutional, legal, and moral demand for the immediate implementation of the Inner Line Permit system in Meghalaya. The ILP is not merely a regulatory mechanism, a framework that would have pre-empted the chaos, confusion, and defamation that engulfed our state over the past few weeks."
The ILP system, if implemented, would require visitors to obtain a permit before entering the state.
Synrem lauded the Meghalaya Police for cracking the honeymoon murder case, stating that they worked with unwavering discipline and compassion.
He said the investigation proved that the incident was a "personal crime" and not a communal failing, and that Sohra is not a bad destination for a honeymoon.
Synrem criticised Sonam's family for making unfounded allegations, "publicly defaming" the dignity of the government and the communities of Meghalaya.
"Their actions went beyond grieving. They made calculated efforts to politicise a personal tragedy, exploit media channels, and generate anti-Meghalaya sentiments nationwide," he alleged.
"Now that the narratives have collapsed under the weight of facts, they must publicly apologise to the Government of Meghalaya, the Meghalaya Police, the local community of Sohra, and to every citizen whose name was so casually dragged through the mud," he said.
Claiming that her daughter was "100 per cent innocent", Somam's father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, demanded a probe by the CBI into the case.
"The Meghalaya Police are giving false statements about my daughter because the state government's image is getting tarnished due to Raja Raghuvanshi's murder case," he alleged.
He further claimed that the Meghalaya Police have no evidence against his daughter that she gave a contract to get her husband killed.
Synrem said, "The people of Meghalaya did not attack any outsider. There was no communal violence. There was no retribution. Our citizens cooperated with the police. They provided information. They offered shelter and supplies to search teams and even opened their homes and churches to facilitate the operation."

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