Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Ramanuj Goswami is dead. The prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Riya Talukdar, died Monday, September 14, while in police custody. Officers were transporting Goswami from Hatigaon Police Station to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for a blood test at 3 am. The vehicle traveled through Kahilipara when Goswami reportedly bolted. He jumped near Narakasur Hills. Police accounts vary, with some stating he died from the fall while others report officers opened fire to stop the escape.
News of his death hit his family in Gauripur during the Adya Shraddha rituals for his wife. The ceremony stopped cold. The priest abandoned the service mid-way. Goswami's father barred the door to outsiders. He told the crowd, "My son has been encountered; everything is over now. Please do not come inside."
Riya Talukdar was 25. Her body was found September 6 inside their third-floor rented flat at Anjali Griha in Basisthapur. Neighbours reported a foul smell, leading to the grim discovery. Forensic teams found her body in a state of decay. Reports suggest her head was severed and placed in a refrigerator, with fingers also severed. Police found a sharp weapon, liquor bottles, and blood at the scene.
The pair married six months ago. Goswami worked as an Uber driver. Riya worked at an AC Market boutique in Fancy Bazar. Neighbours reported frequent, loud arguments. One witness heard a woman crying on Saturday, two days before the body was recovered. Investigators believe the murder happened 24 to 48 hours before discovery. The CID is currently assisting the Hatigaon Police Station investigation.
Updated at 14th September 2026 at 5:48pm
DCP (East) Tabu Ram Pegu provided a conflicting account of the escape, stating the police vehicle suffered a flat tyre near a nursing college. According to Pegu, Goswami kicked an escorting constable before forcing the door open and jumping from the moving vehicle. This contradicts earlier reports claiming the incident occurred at Narakasur Hills while the vehicle was in transit.
GMCH Superintendent Dr. Debjit Choudhury stated that hospital staff processed Goswami as a road traffic accident victim at 3:41 am. Preliminary medical examinations found no bullet wounds on the body, despite initial allegations of police firing. The suspect’s father contested the official police version, claiming the Hatigaon station officer initially told him his son died after falling from the roof of the hospital.
Investigators have linked the motive for the murder to a domestic dispute. Police believe Goswami killed his wife, Riya Talukdar, after accusing her of having an extramarital affair. Neighbours reported hearing only Goswami’s voice during the final altercation, noting he sounded visibly distressed and frightened before the crime occurred.
Updated at 14th September 2026 at 6:01pm
DCP (East) Tabu Ram Pegu provided a different timeline for the fatal escape attempt, claiming the police vehicle stopped because of a flat tyre. According to Pegu, the transport team swapped in a spare tyre before the suspect allegedly attacked an escorting constable, kicked open the door, and leapt from the moving vehicle near a nursing college.
GMCH Superintendent Dr. Debjit Choudhury stated hospital staff logged Goswami as a road traffic accident victim at 3:41 am. Preliminary medical examinations revealed no bullet wounds, directly challenging earlier reports of police firing. The hospital performed an ECG and other routine protocols before issuing a death certificate.
Goswami's father cast doubt on the official narrative, claiming Hatigaon station officer Brahma told him his son died after falling from the roof of the hospital. The father, who said his son had a history of poor mental health, rejected the idea that the suspect would attempt to flee after surrendering and plans to challenge the medical findings for any hidden trauma consistent with a shooting.
The couple's residence in the Anjali Griha apartment was built on land previously owned by the suspect's father. Riya Talukdar, who hailed from Noonmati and had lost both parents, is survived by her brother.
Updated at 15th September 2026 at 1:48am
Goswami's father, Tarun, has formally rejected the police narrative, branding the death a potential extrajudicial killing. He is demanding a court-monitored investigation, arguing his son had already surrendered and had no reason to flee. Family members pointedly questioned how a handcuffed prisoner could overpower two escorting officers and vault from a moving vehicle. They also flagged the choice of the Narakasur Hills route, which adds several kilometers to the trip compared to the standard GS Road path, as highly irregular for a 3 am transit.
The death has reignited tensions surrounding Assam's history of custodial deaths. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan weighed in on the broader issue Monday, stating that extrajudicial killings remain unconstitutional and never justifiable. Goswami's family, who initially refused to claim the body, confirmed they intend to take the case to the High Court and the Supreme Court to challenge the official findings.
Hospital records indicate Goswami's body bore multiple tattoos, though they remained unreadable during initial checks. The suspect's body has been transferred to the forensic morgue for a full post-mortem to determine if any hidden trauma exists, despite the GMCH superintendent's assertion that the injuries were consistent with a fall.
Updated at 15th September 2026 at 1:49pm
Ramanuj Goswami's family members eventually collected his body from the morgue and conducted final rites at the Gauripur crematorium, despite their initial refusal to claim him. They continue to hammer on the suspicious nature of the transport route, pointing out that the Narakasur Hills path is nearly three kilometers longer than the standard route through GS Road. They are demanding a court-monitored judicial inquiry to settle the discrepancies surrounding the early morning transport.
Legal experts and human rights advocates are pointing to a string of similar custodial deaths across Assam in recent years, including the 2024 death of Tafazul Islam and the 2021 death of Niraj Das, to highlight a recurring pattern. The family maintains that a handcuffed suspect could not have physically overpowered two armed policemen in a moving vehicle, and they intend to press their case through the higher courts to force an independent investigation into the force used during the incident.
Updated at 15th September 2026 at 5:49pm
Commuters gained a reprieve as the old Saraighat Bridge scheduled its reopening for 12.30 pm on Tuesday, September 15. Northeast Frontier Railway officials confirmed the completion of two months of maintenance work that forced a total shutdown since July 13.
The bridge closure bottlenecked traffic between Guwahati and North Guwahati throughout the summer. General Manager of the Northeast Frontier Railway will formally oversee the reopening, which aims to clear the heavy congestion previously dumped onto alternative routes.
Updated at 16th September 2026 at 1:48am
Northeast Frontier Railway officials confirmed the bridge rehabilitation project cost 7 crore. The project targeted structural decay, including damaged steel members, structural cracks, and cavities in spalled concrete, alongside the replacement of eight expansion joints. NFR CPRO Kapinjal Kishore Sharma stated the intervention ensures the 63-year-old span meets modern load-bearing and safety standards after water ingress and heavy traffic caused extensive damage to the road deck and joints.
Comments