By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 12: The Meghalaya Police have made special arrangements for the dietary requirements of Sonam Raghuvanshi and the four others accused in the murder of her husband, Raja Raghuvanshi.
An official said that the police took note of their diet, which is different from that of most communities in the Northeast.
“Standard North Indian food is being specially arranged for them,” a police official said, adding that all the accused have usually been calm.
The police also made arrangements for their clothing and other requirements.
Necessary medical examinations of all the accused persons have been conducted and currently police are interrogating all the accused.
Talk of the town
The murder of Indore tourist Raja Raghuvanshi, allegedly by his wife and four others, has generated a lot of interest among the people of Meghalaya.
The murder in serene Sohra has been the topic of discussion in government offices, homes, and shops in Shillong. People have been glued to their mobile phone screens for updates on the incident.
As Sonam and her accomplices were taken out of the Sadar Police Station on Wednesday, a large crowd of onlookers stood outside to get a glimpse of them.
The scenario at the District and Sessions Court was similar, as a crowd gathered outside and many were on rooftops armed with mobile phones to capture the moments.
As the convoy of the accused persons was passing through the road, pedestrians were seen trying to take their videos.
People in Shillong also expressed their anger over how the crime was committed, and the otherwise peaceful Meghalaya was defamed for many days.
Meghalaya was at the receiving end due to the unverified reporting by a section of the national media, with their anchors painting a negative picture of the state from their studios in the metropolises. The family members of Sonam and Raja, too, were going hammer and tongs against the Meghalaya Police regularly.
Things changed only after Meghalaya Police solved the case and arrested all the culprits. Since then, the media houses changed their narrative on Meghalaya and some apologised to the people of the state.
It was only after Sonam and other accomplices were arrested, the national media started reporting on the events from the ground as a large number of TV channels descended on Meghalaya.
While many are optimistic that Meghalaya and its tourism sector would benefit from this episode after all the allegations were withdrawn, the murder and continuous slur on the state have not gone down well with the people of the state.
A hotelier said hotels in Shillong generally remain packed in June. The occupancy rate has been 25-30% this time. “Apart from the Sohra incident, floods and landslides have affected the tourism sector, but we are optimistic about tourist footfall increasing,” he said.