Uttarakhand Women Empowerment and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya on Thursday (October 15, 2026) lodged a First Information Report against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, accusing him of concealing his previous marriage, extramarital affair, assaulting her and threatening to kill her.
Ms. Arya, who belongs to Scheduled Caste community, in her police complaint said she married Mr. Sahu, a resident of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, in July 2004. She later discovered that he had previously been married and had children.
“My family told me to consider the future of my own children when I got to know that he was already married and decided to take action,” Ms. Arya said.
The Minister alleged that Mr. Sahu initially admitted his mistake and apologised but his behaviour did not change. Ms. Arya claimed she was subjected to physical assault, verbal abuse and threats to her life.
“He abused me and used caste-based slurs in front of my staff at my official residence. Also, he tried to remove me from director positions in certain companies using my forged signatures,” Ms. Arya said.
The Minister also claimed that she recently got an audio recording of her husband which allegedly contained a conversation of him with a woman in which the two were planning to kill her. The complaint also raised concerns about the safety of Ms. Arya and her minor children.
Dehradun City Superintendent of Police Shekhar Suyal said a case had been registered against Mr. Sahu under Sections of criminal intimidation, forgery, cheating, SC/ST Act among others.
“Further investigation is on,” he added.
Published - October 16, 2026 02:40 am IST