'Murdered' honeymooner's family burns wife's wedding sari during Holika Dahan
India
Raja Raghuvanshi's family burned his wife Sonam's wedding sari during Holika Dahan on March 2, 2026, as a way to express their pain and anger after Raja was murdered.
The couple vanished while honeymooning in Meghalaya last May, and Raja's body was found days later in a gorge near Wei Sawdong Falls.
Sonam, her lover Raj, and 3 others are accused
Sonam is accused of plotting Raja's murder with her lover Raj Kushwaha; they allegedly hired three men to attack Raja while she watched.
A local guide saw the group together before the crime, adding weight to the charges.
As Raja's mother put it, "Sonam is in jail; we cannot burn her. So we burnt her sari."
The trial began earlier in Shillong with Raja's brother Vipin Raghuvanshi testifying, all five accused remain in custody.