Shillong | June 14, 2025 — In response to the chilling honeymoon murder case in Sohra, the Meghalaya government on Friday announced plans to strengthen the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016, aiming to better vet tourists and curb criminal infiltration disguised as tourism.
The move follows the murder of Indore-based businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, who was allegedly killed in a conspiracy orchestrated by his wife, Sonam, and her lover during their honeymoon in Meghalaya.
“The cabinet today decided to revisit the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act, 2016… to add more teeth to this Act to minimise the possibility of criminal elements entering Meghalaya in the guise of tourists,” said Cabinet spokesperson Paul Lyngdoh after the cabinet meeting in Shillong.
He added that the government would soon draft a formal proposal to strengthen the MRSSA.
Originally passed in 2016, the MRSSA aims to enhance local safety by verifying the identities of tenants and tourists entering the state. It incorporates digital checks through a tourism-specific app and has mechanisms similar to the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system, long demanded by the state.
Lyngdoh said the Assembly had earlier passed a resolution requesting ILP implementation, and the matter was still pending with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
“There were several queries from the Ministry which the state government had addressed,” Lyngdoh explained, noting that the Centre’s concerns stem from Meghalaya being a transit state for the Northeast.
He emphasized that the MRSSA is already an effective law and only requires minor upgrades for enhanced enforcement.
The urgency to strengthen the legislation was driven by the Raja Raghuvanshi case, where Sonam and her accomplices reportedly entered Meghalaya as tourists while plotting the murder. All accused have since been arrested.
“The Cabinet placed on record its gratitude to the police department for cracking this case in record time and saving the state from a bad name,” Lyngdoh added.