A prominent news anchor from CNN News18 has come under fire after making controversial and factually incorrect claims about Assam’s sacred Kamakhya Temple during a live broadcast. The anchor suggested that human sacrifices still take place at the temple and went as far as linking the recent murder of Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya to such alleged rituals.
The remarks were made during a live interview with Raja Raghuvanshi’s sister, where the anchor speculated that his murder—reportedly caused by a stab wound from behind—could be related to so-called sacrificial practices at Kamakhya. The anchor implied that Raghuvanshi may have fallen victim to ritualistic violence.
The comments sparked immediate and widespread outrage, especially across Assam and the Northeast. Viewers, cultural organizations, and religious groups condemned the anchor for spreading misinformation and hurting religious sentiments. The video clip quickly went viral on social media, prompting the media house to delete it and issue a public apology.
Raja Raghuvanshi’s family has also issued a statement distancing themselves from the remarks. They expressed regret over the hurt caused, clarified that the anchor’s statements did not reflect their views, and asked for forgiveness from the people of Assam and the Northeast.
CNN News18 responded with an apology on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“In one of the shows aired yesterday, in the context of the Raja Raghuvanshi murder case, CNN News18 anchor referred erroneously to ‘human sacrifice’ at the holy Kamakhya Temple in Assam. This was a complete error of judgment. We had no intention whatsoever. We apologize profusely to anyone whose religious sentiments are hurt after these comments. Further, we have deleted any reference to such a clip from all our platforms. We deeply regret these comments and apologise profusely for the same.”
