Who Is Rekha Arya? Uttarakhand Minister Who Filed FIR Against Husband Over Alleged Assault, Death Threats

Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya has filed a first information report (FIR) against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, accusing him of physical assault, caste-based abuse, harassment and threatening to kill her. The BJP leader also alleged that she recently obtained an audio recording in which Sahu could allegedly be heard conspiring with a woman to kill her. Hours after sharing a video about the allegations on Facebook on Thursday, Arya was admitted to Krishna Medical Centre in Dehradun for treatment.

The FIR was registered at the Cantonment police station in Dehradun on October 15 under relevant provisions of law, including three sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Arya has said she approached the police after hearing the audio recording, citing concerns about the safety of her children.

The allegations have drawn a political response, with the Congress questioning the Uttarakhand government's handling of the matter and demanding a fair investigation. The allegations against Sahu have not been independently established.

Who Is Rekha Arya?

Rekha Arya is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from the Someshwar Assembly constituency in Uttarakhand's Almora district. She serves as the state's Women and Child Welfare Minister in the government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Someshwar is a constituency reserved for candidates from the Scheduled Caste community. Arya has also identified herself as belonging to a Scheduled Caste in her police complaint against Sahu.

Arya completed her Master of Commerce (MCom) degree from Kumaun University in Nainital and pursued a Bachelor of Education (BEd) from the same university in 2002.

Her political career in the Uttarakhand Assembly began with the 2014 Someshwar by-election, which she won as a candidate of the Congress. She subsequently retained the seat in the 2017 Assembly election.

Arya later joined the BJP and contested the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly election from Someshwar. She defeated Congress candidate Rajendra Barakoti by a margin of 5,293 votes, securing another term in the state legislature.

In the 2012 Assembly election, she had contested from Someshwar as an Independent candidate but lost to Ajay Tamta.

As a member of the Dhami government, Arya oversees the Women and Child Welfare portfolio, placing her in a ministerial role linked to policies concerning women and children in the state.

What Are The Allegations Against Her Husband?

In her FIR, Arya alleged that Sahu had misrepresented his marital status when they got married, claiming to be unmarried. She said she later discovered that he already had a wife and children from an earlier marriage.

“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,” the complaint stated.

Arya further alleged that Sahu was maintaining relationships with other women. According to the FIR, he initially acknowledged his conduct and apologised verbally and in writing when she objected, but allegedly continued the relationships.

She accused him of subsequently subjecting her to physical assault and verbal abuse and threatening to kill her.

The minister also claimed that she recently obtained an audio recording in which Sahu could allegedly be heard conspiring with a woman to kill her. She shared the recording on social media and said it prompted her to seek police intervention to protect herself and her children.

Calling on women to speak out against domestic violence, Arya said: “Whether a woman is ordinary or prominent — domestic abuse should not be endured; one must speak up against it.”

The Congress described the episode as a matter of shame for the BJP government. Party spokesperson Garima Mehra Dasauni demanded that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami clarify what steps had been taken to ensure Arya's safety and what action had followed the complaint.

“Our demand is clear: there should be a fair investigation into the complaint, a forensic examination of the audio, and if the allegations are proven, strict action in accordance with the law. Women's safety is not a political slogan; it is the government's responsibility,” Dasauni said.