New Delhi: The gruesome killing of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi on his honeymoon in Meghalaya has taken a shivery twist, as his family claims that his wife, Sonam, planned the murder to remove a Mangal Dosha curse on him and start a new life together, reviving the astrological belief debate.
Raja Raghuvanshi (29), a transport businessman of Indore, was killed in the jungles of Meghalaya, only 12 days after his marriage to Sonam Raghuvanshi on May 11, 2025. The duo had gone to Shillong as their honeymoon destination. The Meghalaya Police uncovered a conspiracy and arrested Sonam along with four others, including her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, who had conspired with two hired assassins to commit the homicide.
It is alleged by Ashok Raghuvanshi, the father of Raja, that Sonam had killed his son to cancel a Mangal Dosha (Mars affliction) in her horoscope because Ashok thought that by killing Raja, Sonam would have been free to marry Kushwaha. In Hindu astrology, Mangal Dosha is associated with marital disharmony or the death of a partner when Mars is placed in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house of the horoscope.
After 17 days of being on the run, Sonam gave herself up in Ghazipur, Uttar Pradesh, on June 8, 2025. Police restored evidence in the form of call records and CCTV footage that proved the plot. The case, nicknamed “Operation Honeymoon”, stunned India, as the mutilated body of Raja was returned in a coffin, which was too horrible to be seen by his heart-patient father.
Ashok Raghuvanshi said to the media, “Sonam had planned to kill my son so that her Mangal Dosha could be cleared. He died in pain, and death should be the punishment for those who killed him. However, Ujjain-based astrologer Dheeraj Dixit rejected the argument, asserting that the death of a spouse cannot countermand Mangal Dosha. This is a sheer superstition.”
According to Hindu astrology, Mangal Dosha results in delays in marriage, strained relationships, health problems or even the death of a spouse, especially when there is a mismatch of horoscopes. The solutions are marriage to another Manglik, Mangal Shanti Puja, or symbolic ceremonies such as Kumbh Vivah. The Mangalnath Temple, Ujjain: The temple located in Ujjain is believed to be the birthplace of Mars, and thousands of people gather here during Bhaat Puja to reduce the influence of the dosha.
The controversy was further fuelled on social media, where people posted on X, arguing whether Sonam believed in Mangal Dosha and whether the result was the reason behind the murder or if the outcome was an alibi for her affair. One post claimed Sonam’s mother said Mangal Dosha caused Raja’s sacrifice, but police have not confirmed this.
The Raja Raghuvanshi murder case has brought into the limelight the hazardous relationship between superstition and crime, and it has put forward the question as to how far astrological beliefs govern modern India. With the police still questioning and trying to find out the real intentions of Sonam, the tragedy shows that there is a need to raise awareness so as to avoid such tragic misunderstandings of cultural practices as Raja’s family demands justice over their devastating loss.
Comments are closed.