‘Used to give his slippers to needy, would walk barefoot’: Raj Kushwaha’s mother says the 20-year-old is being falsely accused in Meghalaya murder

Raja Kushwaha, an employee of the accused Sonam Raghuvanshi (as claimed by the family), has been arrested along with Raja Raghuvanshi’s wife for his alleged role in the Meghalaya murder case. His mother, while talking to the media, said her son is innocent and is being falsely accused.

Raj’s mother was seen crying while talking to the news agency ANI and said her son was just 20 and could not commit such a crime.

“My child cannot do such a thing. He is just 20 years old. Since the information of his arrest, I haven't had even water,” Raj’s mother said.

“My daughters are also worried. My young daughter fainted while crying. He was our everything. He had all the responsibility of the house,” the accused’s mother said.

She said her husband is no more, and Raj is her only son.

When she was asked if she knew about Sonam and Raj talking over calls regularly - an allegation by Raja’s family - Raj’s mother said it is common to talk to colleagues.

“He used to work at Sonam’s brother’s place. Sonam also used to work there. And when you are working together, it’s normal to talk,” she said.

“He has been falsely accused. My 20-year-old kid cannot do this,” Raj’s mother added.

“He is such a person that if he were to see a vegetable vendor without slippers, he would give them his slippers and shoes and would walk barefoot,” Raj’s mother said.

“I used to scold him, but he did not use to listen,” she further said.

Who is Raj Kushwaha?

The brother of Raja Raghuvanshi told the news agency ANI that Kushawaha was an employee of Sonam with whom she used to talk almost every day.

"I had no idea about those 3-4 people till the time I did not know their names... Raj Kushwaha's name has come forward, which means Sonam can be involved in the murder... Raj Kushwaha was Sonam's employee. They would constantly talk on the phone," Raja’s brother, Vipul Raghuvanshi, told ANI.

However, he refused to accept that Sonam was involved in the murder “unless and until” she confesses it.

“Both of them were happy when their marriage was fixed...We never thought Sonam would do something like this,” he said.

“I have never seen Raj Kushwaha till now, I have just heard his name... Sonam can be involved in this... They were only supposed to go to Assam to offer prayers at Maa Kamakhya Temple. After that, they said they were heading to Shillong. We don't know which of the two planned their visit to Meghalaya. They did not book any return tickets,” the brother added.

Kushwaha was at the funeral of Sonam’s husband

Moreover, Kushwaha was present during the funeral of Sonam’s husband. Sonam’s mother-in-law has revealed that some of her relatives said he picked up and dropped people at the site of the funeral.

"Some people claimed that this Raj was seen with Sonam's father during Raja's funeral," Raja’s mother said, NDTV reported.

But she said she never saw Raj before he was arrested. She also said that she would not blame Sonam if she were innocent.