Meghalaya honeymoon murder: CM Conrad Sangma says ‘there's no need for any CBI probe as of now'

Indian Express

a day ago

Even as the demand for a CBI inquiry gains momentum in the Meghalaya honeymoon murder case, Chief Minister Conard Sangma said on Wednesday that he was satisfied with the police investigation, adding that a rethink was possible only if required at a later stage.
'As of now, there is no need for any CBI probe. The Meghalaya police have done a wonderful job. Their line of investigation has been substantiated both by the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh police. The arrests were made only after all, including the Intelligence Bureau, were satisfied. I assure you once the probe is over. All these demands will die down, and they will agree with the Meghalaya police's line of investigation. But just in case if there are some doubts…and some gaps are there, then we can think about it…,' Sangma told indianexpress.com in an exclusive interview.
The chief minister further said, 'As of now, statements of the accused and witnesses are being recorded and the crime scene is being recreated. Police are working overtime. But we will give all help to the judiciary to ensure that the case is fast-tracked.'
Family members of both Raja Raghuvanshi, who has been killed, and his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused in the murder, have been demanding a CBI probe. Raja's family claims that more people, including Sonam's mother, are involved in the murder, even as Sonam's family says she is being wrongly implicated in the case.
After their wedding in Indore, Raja and Sonam travelled to Meghalaya on a honeymoon trip. They disappeared on May 23 and Raja's body was found on June 2. Sonam went missing after that.
The murder case has brought focus to tourist safety in Meghalaya.
'Many social media handles and national media painted us black. But we were vindicated when all non-locals were arrested. People speaking against us today know that the Meghalaya people are not like that. It's not their nature to be cruel. For us, the safety of all is very important,' Sangma said, adding that candlelight marches being taken out in many parts of Meghalaya showed what the state stood for. 'It's our culture to forgive. In Christianity, we are taught to forgive people.'
'I feel we should not fall into this trap. My only concern is Meghalaya's name should be cleared and a clean chit should be given to the locals and the state government. Also, what we need to learn from this is how to respect citizens from other states,' Sangma said, adding that as chief minister, he would want everyone in the state to be compassionate towards the families of both the victim and the accused.
'Both families have gone through a lot in the last few days. We need to show compassion, though I agree that such harsh statements should not have been made. In fact, I would like to invite people who have been saying negative things about Meghalaya to see the kind of hospitality we offer and how we treat tourists. And it's up to them… If they have a conscience, they would apologise,' he concluded.
On Tuesday, minister Alexander Laloo Hek demanded the families of both Sonam and Raja should apologise for 'tarnishing the image of the state and its people' over the murder. He also warned the families of a defamation case if they didn't comply.