The tragic and horrifying “honeymoon murder” case in Shillong, Meghalaya, has once again exposed the mask of a society which proudly claims modernity with traditional values but remaining deeply feudal and patriarchal at its core.
A young woman named Sonam, recently married, allegedly conspired the murder of her husband Raja during what should have been a celebration of new beginnings.
The reason? According to police, she wanted to marry her lover, Raj, a man from a “lower” caste. Unfortunately, this story has been reduced in popular discourse to a sensational tale of love, betrayal and murder. But a close examination of this case demands that we go beyond the headlines and understand the deeper rot entrenched in the heart of our society.
To simply say that Sonam hatched the plan to kill her husband for “illicit love” would be a distortion. To argue that she is a cold-blooded criminal is equally incomplete.
