Meghalaya honeymoon murder case: Remember Raja Raghuvanshi? Family claims he’s taken rebirth in their home as his nephew

INDORE: A murder case, which shook Indore and made national headlines last year, is back in the news. This, after the family of transport businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was found dead during a honeymoon trip to Meghalaya on June 2, 2025, claimed he took another birth in the same household, close to the same hour and on Ekadashi, the eleventh lunar day in the Hindi calendar when he was killed.On Sunday, a baby boy was born to Raja's elder brother Sachin Raghuvanshi. The newborn has been named ‘Raja', a decision the family says was instinctive.For the family, who have found closure and emotional solace in their belief that Raja is back, the naming of the new member represents the reincarnation of a life they believe was cut short. Deepening their belief is the striking overlap in the timing of birth."According to the post-mortem report, Raja was killed around 2.40 pm on Ekadashi. The baby boy also came into this world on Ekadashi, at almost the same time, around 2.42 pm," Vipin Raghuwanshi, Raja's younger brother, told TOI.The near-identical timing of the two births isn't being dismissed merely as a coincidence. In fact, for the family, it is more like a sign from God, reinforcing their conviction that Raja has returned to them. Raja was murdered allegedly by his newlywed wife, her rumoured lover and his two friends in Shillong in May 2025.Sachin, 37, and his wife Kiran, 32, are already parenting to daughters — Tamanna, 10 and Aaliya, 8. Asserting what they called ‘deeper signs', the family claimed that the newborn's horoscope (kundli) matches that of Raja's. Speaking to TOI, Raja's mother, Uma Raghuvanshi, said the baby boy even bears a striking resemblance to his son when he was an infant. She claimed whenever the family take the name ‘Raja', the baby responds in a way that feels familiar, convincing her more than ever that her son had returned.Vipin recalled the priest at Kamakhya temple, who officiated his brother's thirteenth-day ritual, as saying that since Raja did not die a natural death, his soul couldn't break free from the cycle of birth, adding that he could take a rebirth in the same family.They are now convinced that the child born to Raja's elder brother is his reincarnated self.On the day of his marriage, Raja's family had decorated his room where he was to live with his wife. After receiving word of his death, they could not bring themselves to remove the decorations for a long time, unable to come to terms with the reality that he was gone.On Monday, the newborn was brought into that same room. The room, which had fallen deathly silent, came alive with celebrations.Vipin said the joyful scenes reminded him of Raja's wedding, when relatives and well-wishers had gathered in large numbers. Now, once again, the house was throbbing with the cackle of visitors. The only difference, he said, was that they were celebrating Raja's rebirth this time.While the air of grief hasn't escaped the household, there is now a renewed happiness around the belief that Raja has returned, the kin said.Meanwhile, the legal battle in the murder case continues. The family have urged that the matter be heard in a fast-track court so that the accused, including Sonam, are brought to justice.A grim sequence of events followed Raja and Sonam's marriage on May 11, 2025. The couple travelled to Meghalaya on May 20, but contact was lost on May 24. A search led to the recovery of Raja's body from a gorge on June 2. The body was brought to Indore on June 4. Sonam was subsequently traced near Ghazipur on June 9, and multiple arrests followed. Her co-accused ‘lover', Raj Kushwaha, and three others were eventually arrested. All the accused are currently in jail as proceedings continue.