Uttarakhand Women and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya filed a police complaint against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, accusing him of bigamy, assault, caste-based abuse and death threats. In response, Mr. Sahu released a video on Saturday (October 17, 2026), accusing her of amassing “illegal”assets worth ₹210 crore.
In the video shared on social media, Mr. Sahu appealed to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to order an investigation into the alleged corruption. He said he would disclose more details later. He also dismissed an audio recording shared by Ms. Arya as fabricated and AI-generated, which purportedly suggests a conspiracy to kill her.
“I brought you this far. You were just a woman standing on a roadside. All I was asking was that you withdraw the baseless complaint you have filed against me,” Mr. Sahu said in the video.
He alleged that he had always tried to stop Ms. Arya from engaging in corruption, but she never paid heed.
“I had told you not to indulge in corruption in the meals meant for poor children, but you continued doing so,” he added.
Ms. Arya lodged the complaint against Mr. Sahu on Thursday (October 15, 2026). In her complaint, she alleged that he had concealed an earlier marriage, assaulted and threatened her, and used forged documents to remove her from directorships in certain companies. The case includes provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Ms. Arya was admitted to a hospital on Friday (October 16, 2026) after her health reportedly deteriorated.
Meanwhile, the Congress called for an impartial investigation. The party spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni demanded a forensic examination of the audio recording and questioned the Chief Minister over the lack of action in the matter.
Published – October 17, 2026 08:33 am IST