- She presented audio evidence, urging domestic abuse victims to speak.
Uttarakhand Women and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya has filed a police complaint against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, accusing him of physical assault, caste-based abuse, forgery and a conspiracy to kill her. She has also alleged that he concealed his previous marriage and continued relationships with other women. The complaint comes after Arya shared an emotional video on Facebook on Thursday, breaking down while speaking about the alleged abuse. Hours later, she was admitted to Krishna Medical Centre in Dehradun, where she was undergoing medical tests.
Neither Sahu nor the state government had responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
FIR Invokes Multiple Charges
The case was registered at the Cantonment police station in Dehradun. The FIR includes charges relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, bigamy, cruelty by a husband, causing hurt, insult and criminal intimidation. Provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked.
Arya has accused Sahu of using casteist slurs against her in front of staff at her government residence, as per reports. She has further alleged that he forged her signature to make it appear that she had been removed from the position of director in certain companies.
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‘I Chose To Remain Silent’
In her complaint, Arya stated that she belongs to a Scheduled Caste and alleged that Sahu had misled her about his marital status before their wedding. “A few years later, I discovered the truth: he was already married and had children from a previous marriage. By then, however, we had children of our own; following the counsel of family members, and for the sake of our children’s future, I chose to remain silent,” she said, as per reports.
She also accused her husband of maintaining relationships with other women despite apologising after she confronted him.
“When I objected, he initially acknowledged his wrongdoing and offered both a written and verbal apology. However, he continued to engage in such conduct even after these apologies. When I opposed these relationships, Girdhari Lal Sahu began subjecting me to physical assault and verbal abuse, and even threatened to kill me,” she alleged.
Audio Recording Raises Alarm
Arya has shared two audio clips on social media. According to her complaint, one recording she recently received allegedly captures Sahu speaking to a woman about a conspiracy to kill her.
“On several occasions, he used casteist words in a humiliating manner in front of staff at the complainant’s government residence,” the complaint read.
Describing her reaction to the recording, Arya said she decided to approach the police out of concern for her children’s safety. “After hearing this audio, with pain in my heart, I had to take this decision. I had to file a complaint with the police to protect my children, for the safety of my children,” she said.
The minister also appealed to women facing domestic abuse not to suffer in silence. Her hospital admission followed the events, with doctors conducting tests after her health deteriorated.
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Congress Questions Dhami Government
The allegations prompted a reaction from the Congress, which described the episode as a matter of “utter shame for the BJP government.”
Congress spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni sought an explanation from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the measures being taken to protect Arya and the action proposed against her husband.
“If a minister of the state is herself saying that her life is under threat from her husband, and filing a police complaint against him, it is certainly a matter of utter shame for the government,” Dasauni said.
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