Family members of Raja Raghuvanshi cut out the picture of his wife Sonam Raghuvanshi from a poster.
Credit: PTI Photo
Indore: The effigy of Surpanakha, a character from Ramayana, which will be burnt as part of traditional Dussehra festivities in Indore in Madhya Pradesh will have an image of Sonam Raghuvanshi, who hit national headlines for allegedly getting her husband killed during their honeymoon.
Sonam's husband, Raja Raghuvanshi, went missing on May 23 during the couple's honeymoon in Meghalaya and his mutilated body was found on June 2 in a deep ravine near a waterfall in the Sohra area (also known as Cherrapunji) of East Khasi Hills district. Sonam and several others, including her alleged boyfriend, have been arrested in the case.
An 11-head effigy is being prepared for 'Surpanakha dahan' by city-based organisation 'Paurush' (People Against Unequal Rules Used to Shelter Harassment). "We have always burned Ravana's ego in the form of an effigy on Dussehra. But this time we decided to burn an 11-headed effigy to symbolize misconduct and lack of values of women with criminal tendencies.
It will feature images of women accused of heinous murders of their husbands, children, or in-laws, including Sonam Raghuvanshi," Paurush head Ashok Dashora told PTI on Thursday.
The image of Muskan Rastogi of Meerut is also being displayed on the effigy for the 'Surpanakha Dahan' ceremony, he added. Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla are accused of murdering her husband, former Merchant Navy officer Saurabh Rajput.
They allegedly dismembered his body and hid it in a cement-filled drum, as per police. Meanwhile, Raja Raghuvanshi's elder brother Vipin Raghuvanshi supported the inclusion of Sonam's image in the effigy. "Like the mythological character Surpanakha, Sonam also made a mistake. My entire family will participate in the Surpanakha Dahan ceremony on Dussehra," Vipin said.