Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav Wednesday said the murder of Indore-resident Raja Raghuvanshi during his honeymoon in Meghalaya is a “horrific incident” which should make people think “if children should be allowed to go so far”.
Sonam (24) and Raja Raghuvanshi (29) married 11 May and travelled to Meghalaya 20 May for honeymoon. Raja Raghuvanshi was killed during the honeymoon and his body was found from a gorge 2 June in Meghalaya’s Sohra. Police suspect Sonam orchestrated his murder with three friends of her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha.
In his first reaction over the case, Chief Minister Yadav told the media in Bhopal Wednesday, “It is correct that the incident involving our children Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi is a horrific incident and a lesson for society. For the future, we have several lessons to learn from it, especially when we get into new relations such as marriages. Things need to be checked thoroughly. And in the future, one needs to think if children should be allowed to go so far.”
#WATCH | Bhopal: On Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav says, "The Sonam Raghuvanshi-Raja Raghuvanshi incident is a lesson to the society as well as a very painful incident. It teaches us several lessons. When two families come together through marriage,… pic.twitter.com/vRogY52orh
— ANI (@ANI) June 10, 2025
His statement drew criticism from the Congress, which said a chief minister cannot decide what people do and where they go.
“The Madhya Pradesh chief minister who is also the home minister is now urging parents to not send their children to far off places. This reflects his immature administrative approach and an acceptance of the failure of the BJP governments in protecting its own citizens. How can a chief minister decide what people eat, what they wear or not wear and where they go or do not go,” Congress spokesperson Anand Jat told The Print
Sonam Raghuvanshi has been arrested in connection with the case alongside four others—her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and Akash Rajput, Vijay Singh Chouhan and Anand Kurmi, the last three allegedly hired by Sonam to eliminate her husband.
Raj Kushwaha (21) worked at a business owned by Sonam’s family. Akash and Vijay also worked in the factory, while Anand Kurmi worked at a JioMart center in Indore and had become acquainted with Raj Kushwaha.
When Meghalaya Police found Raja’s body from the gorge, Sonam was still missing, with her family expressing displeasure with the investigation carried out by the Meghalaya police. They approached Chief Minister Yadav, seeking a CBI probe into the matter. On 7 June , Yadav reached out to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention into the matter and a CBI probe.
But on June 9, Sonam surfaced at a roadside dhaba in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur and contacted her brother, who then informed the Indore police which led to her arrest.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)