Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday said his government will ensure strict action against those responsible for the murder of Indore-based tourist Raja Raghuvanshi, whose body was found in a gorge near Sohra earlier this week.
"We will leave no stone unturned to make sure that those responsible for this incident are brought to book," Sangma told reporters in Shillong. The body of 29-year-old Raghuvanshi was recovered nearly a week after he and his wife Sonam went missing from Nongriat village in the Cherrapunji region on May 23. The search for Sonam, who is still untraceable, remains ongoing.
Government open to CBI probe, says Sangma
Responding to the Raghuvanshi family’s demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, the chief minister said a decision will be taken after a thorough review. “It is important to get to the facts of the situation so that the truth comes out. We will take whatever steps are required. Right now, it is too early to say how much we know and how much we don’t because there are so many missing links,” he said.
Incident shocks locals, tourism stakeholders
Describing the murder as “very unfortunate,” Sangma said such a crime was unheard of in Meghalaya and had deeply disturbed the local community. “This has taken all of us by surprise and shock. The local people and stakeholders in the tourism industry are very concerned. This is something we never expected would happen,” the CM noted.
Meghalaya is a tourist-friendly state, says CM
Sangma reassured the public and visitors that Meghalaya has remained a safe destination for years, with lakhs of tourists visiting without incident. “My deepest condolences to the family. I want to assure them that we are working overtime to uncover what happened. We are still unclear about the sequence of events,” he said.
Timeline of disappearance
The couple, both from Indore, arrived in Mawlakhiat on May 22 on a rented scooter and trekked 3,000 steps to reach Nongriat village to see the iconic living root bridges. They spent the night at a homestay and checked out the following morning.
Their scooter was later found abandoned near a café along the Shillong-Sohra road on May 24, raising alarms and triggering the search operation.
(Based on PTI inputs)
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