Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya filed an FIR on October 15 alleging assault and threats by her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu. Sahu denied these claims and accused Arya of Rs 210 crore corruption. A nine-member SIT started a probe into the minister’s allegations as the couple’s public dispute continues to grow.

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Uttarakhand Women and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya’s husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, has accused her of allegedly accumulating illegal assets worth Rs 210 crore and demanded an investigation into the matter by an appropriate agency, PTI reported.

The allegation came a day after Rekha Arya accused Sahu of physical assault, harassment, caste-based abuse and death threats.

Meanwhile, a nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate Arya's allegations against her husband, according to the report by PTI.

Amid the escalating dispute, Sahu released a video and appealed to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to order a probe into the alleged corruption.

However, Sahu did not present any documents or evidence to support his claims.

Rejecting the allegations made against him, Sahu also dismissed an audio recording shared by Rekha Arya, calling it “fake, AI-generated and fabricated”. He alleged that the recording was circulated with an intention to create tension within the family.

Sahu claims role in Rekha Arya’s political journey

Calling the accusations against him baseless, Sahu urged Rekha Arya to withdraw the FIR and take back her statements.

He alleged that the minister had become “arrogant” after gaining political power and had forgotten his contribution to her career. Sahu claimed that he had worked with Arya for 17 years and helped manage her election campaigns and public outreach.

“You 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,” Sahu said in the video, according to PTI.

He further claimed that people across Uttarakhand were aware of his role in helping Arya establish herself in politics.

Rekha Arya files FIR, alleges assault and threats

The controversy began after Rekha Arya filed an FIR against Sahu and shared a video on social media alleging physical assault, harassment, caste-based remarks and threats to her life.

The FIR was registered at Dehradun’s Cantt police station on October 15 under relevant sections of law, including provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, PTI reported.

In her video, Arya spoke about the alleged difficulties she faced and sought action against her husband.

Congress backs Rekha Arya amid domestic dispute

Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal expressed solidarity with Rekha Arya following her allegations.

Godiyal said he was deeply disturbed after watching Arya’s video and hoped she would find strength to overcome the personal crisis.

“As a woman and a daughter of Uttarakhand, her pain resonates with us all,” he said.

He added that while he did not want to politicise the matter, allegations of abuse made by the state’s minister responsible for women’s empowerment raised concerns about the safety of women in Uttarakhand.