Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya's husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, on Friday accused her of amassing illegal assets worth Rs 210 crore and sought an investigation, a day after she accused him of physical assault, harassment and death threats, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
In a video released amid their 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 support his allegations.
According to Press Trust of India, Sahu also dismissed an audio recording shared by Arya on Thursday evening as "fake, AI-generated and fabricated". He alleged that it had been circulated to "sow discord within the family".
Sahu called the allegations against him baseless and appealed to Arya to withdraw the FIR and retract her statements.
He also cautioned the minister against what he described as arrogance arising from her position and said she appeared to have forgotten his role in helping her advance in public life. Sahu claimed that he had worked with Arya for 17 years, managing her election campaigns and seeking votes for her, 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, according to Press Trust of India.
He further claimed that his contribution to Arya's progress was 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 Dehradun's Cantt police station on October 15 under relevant legal provisions, including three sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Press Trust of India reported.
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 her 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.
The dispute intensified after Arya filed the FIR and accused Sahu of assault, harassment and threats, while Sahu denied the allegations, sought their withdrawal and called for an investigation into his claims against the minister.
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