A case has come to light from the politics of Uttarakhand, which has raised questions regarding women's safety and domestic violence. State cabinet minister Rekha Arya has filed a police complaint against her husband Girdhari Lal Sahu. The minister has made serious allegations against her husband like domestic violence, threatening to kill her and conspiring to murder her. He has also expressed concern about the safety of his minor children.
According to Rekha Arya, after listening to an audio recording she decided to reach out to the police. He has filed a complaint in the Cantonment police station of Dehradun demanding registration of FIR and legal action. She has released a video of 2 minutes 30 seconds in which she has made shocking revelations about her married life and made shocking claims about her husband.
Who is Rekha Arya?
Rekha Arya is among the senior leaders of BJP of Uttarakhand. He is an MLA from Someshwar assembly seat in Almora district and is a cabinet minister in the government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. She has the responsibility of departments like Women Empowerment and Child Development, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Sports and Youth Welfare. She has also been listed as the minister of these departments on the official website of the state government. Rekha Arya's political journey started from the Panchayat level. In the year 2003, he won the District Panchayat elections in Almora district. After this he entered assembly politics. In the year 2012, she contested the election as an independent candidate from Someshwar seat, but could not win.
In the year 2014, in the by-election held after Someshwar seat became vacant, Rekha Arya contested on Congress ticket and became MLA. In the year 2016, during the turmoil in Uttarakhand politics, he left Congress and supported BJP. After this, he also won from Someshwar seat in the 2017 and 2022 assembly elections. Rekha Arya has studied from Kumaon University, Nainital. According to his election affidavit, he has studied B.Ed and M.Com. Before joining politics, his profession was said to be teaching.
What allegations did you make against your husband?
Rekha Arya told in her complaint that she was married to Girdhari Lal Sahu on 6 July 2004 as per Hindu customs. She alleged that at the time of marriage, her husband had hidden the information about his first marriage and declared himself unmarried. The minister says that after many years she came to know that her husband was already married and she also had children from that marriage. According to the complaint, by that time they also had children of their own. Keeping in mind the advice of the family and the future of the children, he thought it better to remain silent on this matter.
The minister further alleged that her husband's behavior changed in recent times and she came to know about his alleged affairs with other women. According to the complaint, when she objected to this, the husband allegedly admitted his mistake and apologized verbally and in writing. However, Rekha Arya alleges that despite this this trend continued.
Allegations of assault and use of casteist words
Rekha Arya alleged in the complaint that after she objected to her husband's alleged relationship, she was beaten, abused and given death threats. He also alleged that caste based words were used against him on several occasions at his official residence. The minister has said in her complaint that she comes from the Scheduled Caste community, while her husband does not belong to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe community. These allegations have been recorded in the complaint; The status of their independent verification and investigation is yet to be revealed separately.
Minister reached the police after listening to the audio recording
An audio recording is also important in this case. Rekha Arya alleges that she found a recording in which her husband is talking to a woman and allegedly discussing a conspiracy to murder her. After listening to this recording, he expressed serious concern about his and his children's safety. Rekha Arya looked emotional in the video message released on social media. He said that the audio shook him to the core and raised many questions about his marital life and relationship. She said that for the safety of the children, she had to take the decision of filing a police complaint amid pain. The minister also appealed to women, whether they are common women or hold senior positions, not to tolerate domestic violence and raise their voice against it. She said that despite personal difficulties, she will continue to fulfill her responsibilities as per the Constitution.
Allegation of fake signature and company documents also
Rekha Arya has also accused her husband of allegedly forging documents related to the company. According to the complaint, documents were submitted to remove him from the post of director in some companies, which were claimed to be his signature. The minister says that he neither signed any such document nor resigned from his post. They have demanded the police to investigate the matter, register an FIR and ensure the safety of themselves and their children.