‘Negative Trial': CM Flags Online Campaign Against Meghalaya Amid Indore Couple Case

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Sonam Raghuvanshi was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur for allegedly murdering her husband in Meghalaya, where they went on honeymoon.
Lauding the Meghalaya Police for cracking the case of the missing Indore couple on honeymoon, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Monday addressed the negative campaign online about tourism in the state after the news of the newlyweds surfaced.
As Sonam Raghuvanshi, wife of Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was found in a gorge on June 2, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, the Chief Minister said that the state police was under a lot of pressure as the matter pertained to guests from another state.
'I would like to thank DG, DIG, SP Police Department, who did a superb job under such difficult circumstances. There was a lot of pressure, especially since the case involved guests from another state. The police handled it well and brought the case to a logical conclusion," Sangma said while speaking with CNN-News18 on the case.
He said that the police did have several pieces of evidence since the beginning of the investigation, however, they waited to put them out in the open to protect the investigation.
'The terrain and geography made the investigation challenging. Although we had several pieces of evidence from the beginning, we didn't share them publicly to protect the investigation. The police worked very hard, and revealing more details earlier could have affected their work," the Chief Minister said.
He expressed anguish over the negative campaign run online against tourism in Meghalaya following the incident that came to the fore last month, and said that the people in the state treat tourists like family.
'There was a lot of negative trial, which was unfortunate. I have never seen such an incident in Meghalaya. We were all shocked, as people here treat tourists like family. It was hurtful to see such negative campaigns being spread," he said.
'There's something sinister brewing for a long time, and state police are just trying to hush it all up. A month or so back, a Hungarian tourist was found dead too. I keep reiterating this – Meghalaya is not a safe place, travel in groups, always, don't step out alone after it's dark," a user wrote on X.
Sonam was arrested in UP's Ghazipur earlier today, while four others have been arrested in the case so far, including her alleged boyfriend Raj Kushwaha, the police said.
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