Meghalaya makes guides mandatory for trekking in East Khasi Hills after tourist deaths
The directive comes on the heels of the death of a Hungarian national Puskás Zsolt and the murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, both in the Sohra (Cherrapunji) area of the district.
East Khasi Hills District Magistrate and Chairperson of the District Tourism Promotion Society, Rosetta Mary Kurbah issued the directive in the interest of public safety.
Kurbah said mandatory guide services would help prevent tourists from getting lost, injured, or exposed to criminal activities in remote and isolated areas.
She said the order would be strictly enforced. The violators would face penalties or be denied access to trekking routes, she added.
The administration plans to effectively implement the directive by deploying more trained guides and working with local communities.
The dEcomposed body of the Hungarian national was retrieved on April 11, days after he was reported missing. The police suspected that he died after falling from a steep slope.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
a day ago
- India Today
Know your laws: Forced marriage and the legal framework to correct social crime
In June, a 16-year-old girl fled her house in Bihar and reached Delhi, where she was granted police protection by the Supreme Court. She had been forcibly married off to a 33-year-old man who abused another case that grabbed national attention, Sonam Raghuvanshi, accused of murdering her husband Raja Raghuvanshi during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, was allegedly forced to marry, despite her what does the law say about forced marriage? Firstly, marrying off a girl under 18 or a boy under 21 is completely illegal in India under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act. This law applies across all adults, the Supreme Court has upheld the right to choose one's partner as a fundamental right in multiple judgments. Any adult - a man or a woman - who is being forced to marry - can seek police protection to prevent such can also go to the state human rights body or women's rights commission for adult woman who has been kidnapped or criminally intimidated into agreeing to a marriage can file an FIR under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against those who kidnapped or forced her into marriage. This carries a punishment of up to 10 years in a minor, there are much stricter connected to the child - a friend, family, neighbour or a teacher - can file a police complaint against a minor being married off. The complaint can be made to the local police, or the Child Marriage Prevention Officer of the district, or the Juvenile justice Unit of the district police. The officials are obliged by law to then step in and stop the marriage from happening.A child marriage that has been solemnised carries both civil and criminal penalties under the Prevention of Child Marriage Act, BNS, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso) and the Juvenile Justice adult male spouse of a minor, the fathers of both the girl and the boy, as well as other people responsible for carrying out the wedding rituals face up to two years in jail and a the minor bride has been made to have sex, the husband faces up to 10 years of jail under the Pocso Act. The exemption given to "marital rape" under the rape law does not apply if the bride is under 18, which means that the husband also faces up to life imprisonment under the rape laws of husband's family members may also be liable for abetment of rape of the child. Juvenile Justice Act provisions for the safety of the child and offences by the parent/guardian will also apply in this civil consequences depend on the a child marriage cannot be legally registered in India unless the marriage happened before the Act of 2006 and both spouses agreed to remain married after turning the child marriage is not reported at the time of the wedding, a child who is married off, can approach the police, the Child Marriage Prevention Officer or a district court to file a petition to get the marriage is an option available to both the husband and the wife, that is, if both were under 18 at the time of the minor spouse need not wait until she turns 18 to approach the court. A family member, guardian or the Child Marriage Prevention officer can sign the petition with them. The court will grant a decree of nullity of the if the minor is forcibly taken away from their guardian, threatened or defrauded, the marriage itself is void, which means it never the rights and responsibilities towards maintenance will still husband's family is responsible for the payment of maintenance to the wife and any children born to the marriage. The court may also pass orders for the safe residence of the minor bride.A monthly maintenance amount must be paid to the wife till she born to such marriages are considered legitimate, even if the marriage itself is voided. They have the right to get child support as well as inherit the property of their father's family.- EndsTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Supreme Court
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Human sacrifice at Kamakhya': False claim lands TV anchor, Raja Raghuvanshi's cousin in trouble with Guwahati police
A news TV anchor has landed in trouble with the police over a false claim of 'nar bali (human sacrifice)' at the Kamakhya temple in Assam, during a live conversation with a cousin of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was murdered allegedly by his wife and her lover during their honeymoon in Meghalaya earlier this year. Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is among the most prominent Hindu shrines. (PTI File) The Guwahati Police Crime Branch summoned the news anchor along with Shrishti Raghuvanshi, a female cousin of Raja Raghuvanshi, over the alleged defamatory statement about the revered Hindu shrine, news agency ANI reported. The anchor and the channel were not named in the agency report. After the FIR was filed on charges of hurting religious sentiments, both the anchor and Raja Raghuvanshi's cousin were asked to appear before the investigation officer on June 23 and 24, but they have not done so till date, according to Ankur Jain, Joint Police Commissioner, Guwahati City Police. What happened on air The anchor, reported to be from a prominent English news channel, was interviewing Shrishti about Raja's initial disappearance in Meghalaya – the murder came to light later – when the anchor claimed that human sacrifice was carried out at as a practice at the temple in Meghalaya's neighbouring state of Assam. Shrishti purportedly agreed with the anchor's remarks during the live broadcast, the police said according to a report by NDTV. As outrage followed the false claims and the apparent suggestion that Raja may have been 'sacrificed', the channel and Shrishti apologised for a 'complete error of judgment'. Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi got married on May 11 and went for their honeymoon to Meghalaya just days later. The FIR said the anchor and Shrishti could not cite any source, religious authority or historical validation for their false claim. The anchor clearly presented the information as fact, it added. Case dominated headlines The murder of Raja Raghuvanshi made headlines for weeks as police investigation said Raja, 29, was murdered by his wife Sonam, 24, just days after they had left hometown Indore for their honeymoon in Meghalaya in May. Sonam, her alleged lover Raj and their accomplices killed Raja, police found. After an intense search for Sonam, who was reported missing while Raja's body was found, she resurfaced and surrendered. Raj and the three accomplices had already been arrested by then.
News18
3 days ago
- News18
Honeymoon Murder: Raja Raghuvanshi's Sister Booked Under Section 302 Over Viral Posts
Last Updated: Shrasti Raghuvanshi, sister of murdered Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, is being investigated for incitement and public unrest due to viral posts on social media In a dramatic twist to the sensational Raja Raghuvanshi honeymoon murder case that has gripped the nation, the deceased's sister, Shrasti Raghuvanshi, now finds herself at the centre of a criminal investigation. Guwahati Police have registered an FIR against her under several serious charges, including Section 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), equivalent to the Indian Penal Code's murder provision, along with sections related to incitement and public unrest. The action stems from a series of viral social media posts made by Shrasti, who identifies herself as Raja Raghuvanshi's sister, in which she made emotionally charged allegations against her sister-in-law and prime accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi. In one widely shared post, Shrasti claimed Raja had been 'sacrificed" by Sonam during their honeymoon in Meghalaya, a statement the police say had communal undertones and triggered tension online. Guwahati Police have booked her under Sections 196(2), 299, and 302 of the BNS, citing her posts as 'provocative and capable of disturbing communal harmony". The murder probe took this unexpected turn after police noticed that several of Shrasti's posts had gone viral, many of them laced with hashtags like #justiceforraja and #trending, and in some cases, even promotional content unrelated to the case. The Honeymoon Murder The newlywed couple, Sonam and Raja Raghuvanshi from Indore had travelled to Shillong, Meghalaya, for their honeymoon, just days after their wedding on May 11. On May 23, they checked out of a homestay in Nongriat village, and then vanished. After an intense 10-day search, Raja's body was discovered on June 2 in a gorge near Weisawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills, with injuries suggesting foul play. A major breakthrough came when Sonam Raghuvanshi, Raja's wife, surrendered at a police station in Uttar Pradesh. She was soon arrested along with three other accused. The police allege that the murder was premeditated and carried out with the help of accomplices. As the case captured national headlines, Shrasti's Instagram reels, featuring both grieving family moments and confrontational messages aimed at Sonam, went viral. With over 3,94,000 followers, her account became a focal point of public curiosity and criticism alike. Some videos showed her emotional outbursts, while others appeared promotional in nature, sparking accusations of 'clout-chasing" during a tragedy. A particularly controversial video was uploaded a day before Raja's body was discovered, in which she promoted a mobile store in Indore. The timing of the post drew sharp condemnation online, with users questioning the sincerity behind her activism. Several viewers also objected to her use of insensitive hashtags like #like and #viral amid the family's mourning. Assam Police have since summoned Shrasti for questioning, formally serving her a notice. In response, the Raghuvanshi family has issued a statement clarifying that their intentions were never to hurt religious sentiments. They expressed willingness to apologise and said their posts were driven by grief and a desire for justice. This case shows how the line between emotional expression and legal responsibility can blur quickly on social media, a senior police officer said. The posts were widely circulated and interpreted as potentially harmful in a sensitive case, he said. While Shrasti continues to face flak online, the case has ignited debate around how tragedies are portrayed on social platforms, and where the line lies between justice-seeking and performative activism. First Published:
