Man accuses minister’s husband of luring him to donate kidney

HALDWANI/DEHRADUN: A former employee of Girdharilal Sahu, husband of an Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya, has accused him of luring him to donate his kidney for his ailing first wife, a charge denied by Sahu.

In a letter to the Nainital police, Naresh, a resident of Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, said he was taken to Sri Lanka and promised a flat and money for his kidney, which was transplanted in Sahu’s first wife, Vaijyanti Mala. However, Sahu did not keep his promise, he alleged.

Sahu, who is known to be facing several criminal cases, including of land frauds, in the police stations in Kichha and Terai region of Uttarakhand, said the matter was three years old.

He said as Naresh’s kidney matched with Vaijyanti’s, he offered to donate it for transplant and denied all allegations of promising to give a flat and money, saying they were false and there was no truth in them.

Naresh could not be contacted for comment.

Women empowerment minister Rekha Arya chose not to comment on the issue. “I am into politics. My husband has his own work... Sahuji will be in a better position to comment on this,” she said.

Congress spokesperson MD Joshi demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter, and said his party will oppose any move to “downplay the case”.

Nainital SSP, Janmejay Khanduri said he had received the letter from Naresh, an employee of Sahu, and it had been forwarded to Haldwani inspector KR Pandey for inquiry. Anti-human trafficking activist Gyanendra Kumar said it is a serious matter involving a minister’s husband.

NARESH SAID HE WAS TAKEN TO SRI LANKA AND PROMISED A FLAT AND MONEY FOR HIS KIDNEY, WHICH WAS TRANSPLANTED IN THE MINISTER’S FIRST WIFE