Raja Raghuvanshi's mother seeks capital punishment for accused in Meghalaya honeymoon murder case

"Just as Muskan and her accomplice were sentenced to death in the 'Meerut Blue Drum' murder case, I want Sonam and her accomplice to be given the death penalty as well, and for the verdict to be delivered as soon as possible. Much like Sahil’s mother, who received justice, I too am waiting for justice to be served," Uma Raghuvanshi said.

Uma Raghuvanshi, the mother of the deceased Raja Raghuvanshi, on Friday demanded the death penalty for prime accused Sonam Raghuvanshi and five other co-accused, citing the capital punishment recently awarded by the Supreme Court in the 'Meerut Blue Drum' murder case. Speaking to ANI, she urged the government and the judiciary to deliver a swift verdict, drawing parallels with the legal closure achieved by the family in the Meerut murder case.

"Just as Muskan and her accomplice were sentenced to death in the 'Meerut Blue Drum' murder case, I want Sonam and her accomplice to be given the death penalty as well, and for the verdict to be delivered as soon as possible. Much like Sahil’s mother, who received justice, I too am waiting for justice to be served," Uma Raghuvanshi said. She further asserted that all individuals involved in the execution and aiding of the crime deserve nothing less than the maximum statutory punishment.

"I demand the death penalty for Sonam and the five other accused; Sonam orchestrated a major conspiracy, and I seek capital punishment for both those who carried out the killing and those who assisted them. Only then will I find peace. My only request to the government is that the same verdict delivered in the 'Meerut Blue Drum' murder case be applied to Raja’s case," she added. Uma’s remarks come after a Meerut court has sentenced Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla to death for the murder of Muskan's husband, former Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput, in a verdict in the "blue drum murder case".

Rajput was killed and his body dismembered, with body parts concealed inside a large blue plastic drum filled with sand and cement. After a trial spanning 126 hearings and on the basis of scientific and circumstantial evidence, District Judge Arvind Kumar Mishra awarded the death penalty, categorising the case as "rarest of rare."

Regarding the case of her own son, Raja Raghuvanshi, a newlywed who went to Meghalaya on his honeymoon along with his wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, was found dead in a gorge near Sohra (Cherrapunji) on June 2, 2025. Sonam, who had been missing for many days, was later found near a roadside dhaba along the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway. The couple, both residents of Indore in Madhya Pradesh, had gone missing during their honeymoon trip to Meghalaya.

Later, as part of its investigation, the Meghalaya Police SIT reconstructed the crime scene as part of its investigation into the murder of Raja Raghuvanshi. The murder scene was recreated by the SIT team in Sohra in the presence of the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, and three others. (ANI)