My daughter is innocent: Father of MP woman accused of hiring men to kill husband
Indore (PTI): The father of an Indore-based woman, who has been accused of hiring men to kill her husband during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, on Monday claimed his daughter was "100 per cent innocent" and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
A relative of deceased local transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi also said they cannot believe his wife Sonam was behind his murder, but if she is proved guilty, she should be given the harshest punishment.
He said Sonam made a video call to her brother on Sunday night following which Raghuvanshi's family informed the Uttar Pradesh police about her presence in that state.
Indore resident Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by men hired by his wife during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, DGP I Nongrang said on Monday morning.
Speaking to PTI, she said the woman surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur, while three other assailants were arrested in overnight raids.
Raghuvanshi and his wife went missing while vacationing in Meghalaya's Sohra area on May 23. His body was found in a gorge on June 2.
Sonam's father, however, refuted the police's claims.
"My daughter is 100 per cent innocent. We demand a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case," Sonam's father Devi Singh Raghuvanshi told reporters.
"The Meghalaya police are giving false statements about my daughter because the state government's image is getting tarnished due to Raja Raghuvanshi's murder case," he alleged.
He further claimed the Meghalaya police have no evidence against his daughter that she gave a contract to get her husband killed.
Meanwhile, Raja Raghuvanshi's brother Vipin Raghuvanshi said, "Sonam made a video call to her brother Govind late last night. After this, we called the Uttar Pradesh police and informed them about Sonam being in their state."
"Until the alleged contract killers are confronted with Sonam, we cannot believe that she had hired them to kill her husband," he said.
If Sonam is found guilty in the murder of her husband, then she should get the harshest punishment, he added.
The name of a person named Raj Kushwaha has surfaced in the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case.
Sonam's father, who runs a business of Sunmica sheets used in furniture, said a person named Raj Kushwaha is associated with his establishment and till the day before yesterday he was working at his warehouse.
"Kushwaha's name is being wrongly linked with my daughter Sonam. The Meghalaya police are making false allegations against my daughter to save their skin. I will send a legal notice to the Meghalaya police. I want the CBI to investigate the entire matter," he said.
After their marriage on May 11, Raja Raghuvanshi and his wife left for Meghalaya on May 20 for their honeymoon.
They arrived at Mawlakhiat village in the north-eastern state on May 22 on a rented scooter.
On May 24, their scooter was found abandoned at a cafe along the road from Shillong to Sohra, following which the search for them began.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
