Dehradun, Oct 19 The SIT formed to investigate a case filed by Uttarakhand’s Minister for Women Empowerment Rekha Arya, who accused her husband of physical assault and harassment, recorded her statement on Monday.
An audio recording related to the case was also obtained from her, officials said.
“The team has recorded the statement of Rekha Arya where she spoke in detail about the allegations levelled by her against her husband. An audio recording related to the case has also been obtained from her. These will be sent to a Forensic Science Laboratory for examination for further legal proceedings,” said Jaya Baluni, Superintendent of Police (Rural), who is heading the SIT.
As per details shared by Dehradun police on Monday night, sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 498(A) (cruelty by husband), 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), relevant sections of the SC/ST Act, among others have been levelled against the minister’s husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu.
An FIR in the matter was filed on October 15, after which Arya released a video on social media.
Arya had filed a complaint against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, and released a video on a social media platform, accusing him of physical assault, harassment, using caste-based slurs and issuing death threats. He has denied the allegations.
After Arya filed the FIR, Sahu on Friday released a video accusing the minister of corruption, claiming that she possesses illegal assets worth Rs 210 crore. He demanded that the chief minister initiate an investigation by an appropriate agency. Arya, however, refuted the allegations.
Sahu did not provide any documentary evidence to support these allegations. He claimed that an audio recording, shared by the minister on Thursday evening, was fake, AI-generated and fabricated to sow discord within the family.
Sahu dismissed all allegations levelled against him as “baseless”. In the video, he appealed to Arya to withdraw her complaint and retract her statement, maintaining that the accusations against him are false.
(PTI News)
