Of late we have all been left aghast and appalled by the story of the newly-wed couple from Indore (Madhya Pradesh) who came to the serene hills of Meghalaya for their honeymoon. The honeymoon ended in the murder of the unfortunate husband masterminded by none other than his own accompanying wife with whom he had sworn to spend the rest of his life just twelve days earlier.
At first, it was suspected to be a case of robbery or kidnapping and the needle of suspicion naturally turned to some unsavory local goons. But later on when the wife Sonam showed up at an eatery in Ghazipur (UP) faraway from the Meghalaya hills and narrated a story wherein she projected herself as the victim rather than the culprit, the whole dimensions of the case changed. But it did not take long for the police to realize that they were dealing with a case far more sinister than robbery, kidnapping or a honeymoon gone wrong. And it also did not take long for Sonam to admit that she had indeed got her newlywed husband murdered in the serene hills of Meghalaya.
Now, as the investigating agencies unravel this very squalid case, the background story turns out like this: Sonam, a 24 year old woman from Indore (MP), encountered a 29 year old businessman named Raja Raghuvanshi from the same city through an online matrimonial site somewhere around October 2024 and ended up marrying him on the 11th May 2025 under parental pressure. After the marriage, the husband was not at all in a mood to go for honeymoon so early. But the wife insisted and booked all the travel tickets and reservations herself.
Sonam was working in the plywood factory of her own father where a young 21 year old man named Raj Kushwaha was also working. Sonam and Raj liked each other and wanted to marry but Sonam’s parents were not in favour of the relationship as the guy was from a poorer economic background.
So, Sonam married Raja Raghuvanshi with a hidden agenda of her own. Sonam married Raghuvanshi because she wanted to claim and show that she did obey her parents. But she planned to eliminate him from her life so that she could unite with her true love Kushwaha. Kushwaha arranged for three contract killers who came all the way to Meghalaya for the sole purpose of killing the innocent man. The three hitmen attacked Raja brutally once they got the go-ahead signal from the mastermind Sonam and threw his body into a deep gorge.
So what do we gather from this unbelievably squalid honeymoon? In my assessment, Sonam was not only cruel and heartless but was also foolish, childish, illogical and totally impractical in thinking that she could unite with her lover by eliminating her duly wedded husband in this manner. If she did not wish to marry Raghuvanshi she could have straightaway turned down the arrangement made by her parents or eloped with her lover or straightaway communicated her true thoughts and desires to Raja Raghuvanshi and I am sure Raghuvanshi would have backed away gracefully. What was the logic behind marrying the man and getting him murdered in a remote hill station within less than two weeks of the wedding? All these do not make any sense to our reasoning power or conscience. How could any human in his/her right sense even think about carrying out such a dastardly act let alone doing it?
If it was a case of the husband torturing or abusing the wife for years, it would have made some sense. But that was not the case. They had been married for not even two weeks and they probably did not even know each other that well. Then how could a woman go to such an extent to eliminate someone she barely even knows? But as they say “truth is stranger than fiction”.
However, taking this case, let us reflect on some aspects involved in marriages. In India and even in Nagaland, marriages and weddings are still considered the most important occasion in a man or woman’s life.
Once a man or woman reaches marriageable age, the parents and relatives naturally begin to think that he/she should settle down. Arranged marriages are rampant in India amongst both Muslims and Hindus. But love marriage is still the most coveted and romanticized one. Financial status, family background, good reputation, astrology, fortune-telling and the likes all still play a dominant role in Indian marriages today as has been the case since time immemorial.
But while in every culture and religion it is generally believed that it is the desire of the Creator for a man and woman to be united in marriage and set up family for themselves, it is pertinent that we realize that marriage should not be imposed or forced upon anybody and the concerned individual should be given the time and space to decide when and whom to marry or not to marry at all.
It is said that a marriage is not only the union of two people but also the union of two families. It is also said that marriage is like a trap. Those who are unmarried wish to be married and those who are married wish they were unmarried.
Marriage has a high chance of becoming suffocating or frustrating for any of the couple if the dynamics involved are not considered properly. It is said that marriage is a partnership and not a competition. A husband and wife are supposed to be one another’s greatest supporter and encourager in every area of life.
While growing up we all dream about marrying and settling down with the dream man or woman of our imagination. But it is an illusion to be searching for or waiting for the so-called Mr. or Miss. Perfect. Finding true love is never about finding the right person but true love is all about becoming the right person.
Even if Sonam was able to marry Kushwaha who was 3 years younger to her, what is the guarantee that she would be happy and fulfilled? She might probably find out that the man was a good-for-nothing fellow and that she had made the biggest mistake of her life in marrying him. It is said that the grass may be greener on the other side but it still has to be mowed.
A man or a woman may like someone else but end up marrying someone whom he or she does not like that much. But the moment he or she gets married, the table turns and the whole dynamics also change.
Here, we can recollect the moral from the famous story of Leo Tolstoy. It answers three very important questions of life. It says that the most important person in your life is the person you are with right now. The most important time is right now since it’s the only time you have as yesterday is already gone and nobody knows whether he will see tomorrow. And the most important thing to do is to do good to the person with whom you are now. Ultimately, it’s all about realizing the brevity of life, having the right attitude and doing the right thing.
In the Old Testament, we find the story of Naomi and Ruth. When both their husbands had died, Naomi told her daughter-in-law Ruth to go her own way and live happily without having to bear the responsibility of taking care of an old woman. But Ruth replied with the words that have echoed down the ages. Ruth said to Naomi, “I will go wherever you go, I will take care of you, your people will be my people and your God will be my God”.
Likewise, once someone enters into marriage after uttering the marriage vows, the whole focus, priority and attitude should change. Why? It is because the creator God designed it that way. Unfortunately Sonam did not have the attitude that the Biblical Ruth had towards her mother-in-law Naomi and that proved to be her undoing.
Whether you are a Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist or a follower of any other faith, we all know that marriage is not a joke and it is not to be taken lightly. Sonam might have been in love with another man or she might have been pressurized into marrying the innocent man. But the moment she tied the knot with Raja Raghuvanshi, he automatically becomes the most important man in her life and to do good to him becomes her most important duty. And like Ruth her whole focus and efforts should now have been to take care of Raghuvanshi, to make his people her people and to make his God her God. But unfortunately Sonam was no Ruth and the teachings of Leo Tolstoy also probably would have no impact on someone like her.
