Dehradun, Oct 16 Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya’s husband Girdhari Lal Sahu on Friday accused her of amassing illegal assets worth Rs 210 crore, demanded a probe into the allegations, a day after she accused him of physical assault, harassment and death threats.
In a video released on Friday amid the escalating domestic dispute, Sahu urged Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to order an investigation by an appropriate agency into the alleged corruption. However, he did not provide any documentary evidence to substantiate his allegations.
Sahu also dismissed as “fake, AI-generated and fabricated” an audio recording shared by Arya on Thursday evening, alleging that it was circulated to “sow discord within the family”.
He termed the allegations against him baseless and appealed to Arya to withdraw the FIR and retract her statements.
Cautioning the minister against what he described as arrogance stemming from her position, Sahu said she appeared to have forgotten his role in helping her rise in public life.
He claimed that he had worked with her for 17 years, managing her election campaigns and canvassing for votes, but was now facing allegations himself.
“You (Arya) are living in arrogance, that till you are alive, you will remain a minister or elected representative, but that is not the case as life is full of ups and downs. Today you are in power, but you have forgotten the days when I helped you reach where you are today. Look at where I’ve brought her from—she was just a woman standing on the street…. If you do not take back your statement, then Bhole Baba will hold you accountable for every single thing,” Sahu said in the video.
He further claimed that his contributions to Arya’s progress were well known across Uttarakhand.
On Thursday evening, Arya, the state’s Women and Child Development Minister, filed an FIR against Sahu and released a video on social media accusing him of physical assault, harassment, caste-based slurs and death threats.
The FIR was registered at the Cantt police station in Dehradun on October 15 under relevant legal provisions, including three sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Reacting to the controversy, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal expressed solidarity with Arya, saying her video had left him deeply troubled.
“I felt deeply troubled after watching Rekha Arya ji’s video. As a woman—and a daughter of Uttarakhand—her pain resonates with us all. I sincerely hope she finds the strength to overcome this personal, domestic situation.
“I do not wish to make this a political critique, but when the Minister for women empowerment herself speaks of being subjected to abuse, it becomes self-evident what the situation must be like for other women across the state,” Godiyal said.
He added that the Congress stood with Arya over the allegations of mistreatment, physical assault and death threats.
“From the case of Ankita Bhandari to that of Rekha Arya, serious questions arise regarding the condition of women in the state under BJP rule. The Congress party will always stand up for the protection of women,” Godiyal said.
(PTI News)
