9-member SIT formed to probe Uttarakhand Minister's charges against husband

A nine-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate Women and Child Development Minister Rekha Arya's allegations of physical assault, harassment, caste-based slurs and death threats against her husband, Girdhari Lal Sahu, officials said.A team led by Superintendent of Police (Rural) Jaya Baloni will conduct the investigation.Speaking to PTI, Ms. Baloni said, “A nine-member SIT has been formed to investigate the incident. We will start the investigation after the Minister is released from the hospital and complete it at the earliest.”On Thursday (October 15, 2026) evening, Ms. Arya filed an FIR against Mr. Sahu and released a video on a social media platform, accusing him of physical assault, harassment, using caste-based slurs, and issuing death threats.The FIR was registered on October 15 at the Cantt police station in Dehradun, under relevant sections of law, including three sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.Amid an ongoing dispute with his wife, Mr. Sahu on Friday (October 16) released a video accusing the Minister of corruption, claiming that she possesses illegal assets worth ₹210 crore. He demanded that the Chief Minister initiate an investigation by an appropriate agency. However, he did not provide any documentary evidence to support these allegations.He further claimed that an audio recording, shared by the Minister on Thursday (October 15) evening, was fake, AI-generated and fabricated “to sow discord within the family.” Mr. Sahu dismissed all allegations levelled against him as "baseless".In the video, Mr. Sahu appealed to Ms. Arya to withdraw the FIR and retract her statement, maintaining that the accusations against him are false.Meanwhile, on Friday (October 16) evening, state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal issued a video statement and said that if Ms. Arya has been a victim of harassment, then, “as a daughter of Uttarakhand, she has our sympathy.”“However, serious allegations have been levelled today—specifically, that her husband has amassed proxy-held assets worth ₹210 crore and siphoned off rations intended for the mid-day meals of schoolchildren. Both Rekha Arya and the Chief Minister must provide a clarification regarding these accusations,” said Mr. Godiyal.He added that given Ms. Arya is a Minister, referring to her as a "helpless woman" would be an insult to the State.“In light of these grave allegations, and for the sake of public propriety, the Chief Minister should secure the Minister’s resignation and initiate an impartial investigation. The Ankita Bhandari case on one hand and the Rekha Arya case on the other—how long will this continue? The government must answer for the state of women in Uttarakhand and address these serious allegations,” said Mr. Godiyal. Published - October 17, 2026 08:33 am IST