Ujjain: In a heart-wrenching moment filled with grief and betrayal, the family of murdered Indore businessman Raja Raghuwanshi performed his pind daan at the banks of the sacred Kshipra river in Ujjain on Friday. Raja’s brothers, Sachin and Vipin Raghuwanshi, led the final rituals, days after his brutal killing during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya made national headlines.
The ‘pind daan’ — a traditional Hindu ritual that involves offering food like rice, barley, sesame, and flour to honor the soul of the deceased — became a poignant reminder of a life ended too soon under horrifying circumstances.
Shockingly present at the ritual was Govind, the brother of Raja’s wife, Sonam Raghuwanshi — who stands accused of conspiring in Raja’s murder along with her lover, Raj Kushwaha. Govind, who joined the grieving Raghuwanshi family, claimed he had no knowledge of his sister’s relationship with Raj before her marriage to Raja.
“Had I known, I would have gotten them married or I would have let her run away with Raj Kushwaha,” Govind told Live Hindustan. Expressing solidarity with Raja’s family, he added, “I have come with Raja’s family to perform his last rites… they are like my brother’s family.” When questioned about Sonam’s role, he said bluntly, “If she is found guilty, she should be given the death penalty.”
Govind described Sonam as “stubborn and short-tempered” and added that there had been no familial pressure on her regarding marriage. “If she didn’t want to marry, she could have said so. What she did is unforgivable. She hasn’t just shamed Indore, but the entire state of Madhya Pradesh,” he said in his conversation with Live Hindustan.
Vipin Raghuwanshi confirmed that Govind reached out to attend the last rites. “We told him he could come. It was his sister’s mistake, after all,” he stated.
The tragic story began on May 11, when Raja and Sonam tied the knot. Merely ten days later, they set off for Shillong, Meghalaya, for their honeymoon. But what should have been a joyful trip turned deadly. On May 23, Raja was reported missing from East Khasi Hills. As the investigation unfolded, Sonam emerged as a prime suspect.
Police say Sonam’s continuing relationship with Raj Kushwaha was the backbone of a carefully orchestrated murder plot. The Meghalaya police arrested Sonam along with Raj and his associates — Vishal Chauhan, Anand Kurmi, and Akash Rajput — from Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh.
