Indore, June 8 (IANS) The family of Indore resident Sonam Raghuvanshi, who had travelled to Shillong with her husband Raja Raghuvanshi for their honeymoon, has once again raised serious concerns over the investigation by the Meghalaya administration.

They have reiterated their demand to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a CBI inquiry into the suspected murder of Raja and to intensify efforts to trace the missing Sonam.

The newlywed couple, Raja Raghuvanshi (29) and Sonam Raghuvanshi (25) had gone to Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district for their honeymoon but soon went missing under mysterious circumstances.

On June 2, Raja’s body was discovered in a deep gorge near a waterfall in the Sohra area, nearly 20 kilometres from the homestay where the couple was staying. Sonam remains untraceable.

The shocking discovery has triggered grief and suspicion within the family, who allege mishandling of the case by the local authorities. Despite days passing since the incident, the Meghalaya Police have yet to find any substantial clue about Sonam’s whereabouts.

On Saturday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav stated that he has already requested the Home Minister to hand over the investigation to the CBI.

Speaking to IANS, Sonam’s father, Devi Singh Raghuvanshi, said, “The Chief Minister, our CM Mohan Yadav, has already sent help from Bhopal. Now it is in Home Minister Amit Shah’s hands to send the CBI there as soon as possible. Without the CBI, work won’t progress because the local police are gradually destroying all the evidence.”

“If the police were capable and doing their job properly, the evidence wouldn’t have been destroyed, and both children would have been safe. How did the things kept inside the scooty — the phone, raincoats, and other items — reach near the dead body? If the murder happened somewhere else, how did the murder weapon end up near the body?” he said.

According to the family, CCTV footage and GPS data from the scooty indicated the presence of 3-4 people with the couple, but the local police allegedly failed to investigate these leads.

“If they had conducted a proper investigation, our children would have been safe today,” Singh said.

Expressing deep frustration, he added, “The police and administration in Meghalaya are doing nothing. One of their ministers even made a callous statement, saying these incidents keep happening. If a tourist visits a site, why hasn’t the government ensured proper security and guidance? Especially in mountainous terrain, there should be officials present to assist and protect tourists — but there was no one.”

The grieving family continues to demand urgent and credible intervention, asserting that without CBI involvement, justice for Raja and the safe return of Sonam will remain elusive.

–IANS

sd/dpb