Marriage, and space for women to say No

A conniving wife (allegedly). Splashy wedding videos (visibly). Picturesque honeymoon (unarguably). And then, the plot twist, murder. The exclamation marks just insert themselves.

- Namita Bhandare

There is no escaping this "Honeymoon Hathyakaand" in the mainstream press, TV news and social media. So much of what is being recorded is speculation with a large side of moralising — women are going too far, laws "favouring" women must be repealed and, even, take the family along on your honeymoon.

The police investigation into the death of 30-year-old Raja Raghuvanshi whose body was found in Sohra, the former and famous Cherrapunji, on June 2 is underway. Married on May 11, his 25-year-old wife Sonam has been arrested with four other men, including one said to be her boyfriend, allegedly for a hit job on the new husband.

Tucked away behind the screaming headlines is a story of love, longing, and marriage in modern India.