Guwahati: For his parents, it is difficult to accept that their faithful, loyal, values-driven son could have killed his wife.Police suspect that an alleged extramarital affair involving Riya Talukdar Goswami and her husband Ramanuj Goswami’s alleged substance use were among the reasons behind her murder.Ramanuj’s mother, Anjali Goswami, who lives with her husband in Dhubri district’s Gauripur, said, “I am still unable to accept what has happened. I gave birth to Ramanuj and brought him up. I know him better than anyone else. If I ask him why he has not done something, I can tell from his response if he is telling the truth. I cannot accept what has happened because Ramanuj is not that kind of a person.”She said Ramanuj and Riya got married at a temple in Narengi, Guwahati, on Sept 22 last year.“We could not attend the wedding as it was the third day after singer Zubeen Garg’s death, and there was no way to travel from Gauripur to Guwahati. We could not gift them anything. The girl’s family also did not have any demands or expectations. The girl’s parents have passed; she only has an elder brother,” Anjali added.The couple visited their Gauripur home during Magh Bihu in Jan, she said. “They stayed here for about a week and then left together. They both worked in the private sector. They were planning to come during Durga Puja because they would get a few days’ leave then,” she added.Goswami said she spoke to Riya on Sept 2 and that the conversation was normal.After learning of the incident through news reports on Sunday night, Goswami said the family stayed awake, hoping for information from police, but received none.Neighbours declined to comment on the case or the couple. Police sealed the flat and restricted access to the apartment premises.Ramanuj surrendered to police on Sunday night. The incident occurred on Sept 3.
