Torture on house help: Ranchi police arrest ex-BJP leader

Ranchi: Jharkhand Police arrested Jharkand BJP leader Seema Patra for alleged torturing of her house help, a 29-year-old woman, on Wednesday. After a video of the woman accusing Patra of torture came out on Tuesday, BJP suspended the leader from the party, NDTV reported.

Patra was a member of the national working committee of the BJP's women wing, while her husband, Maheshwar Patra, was a former IAS officer.

In the video, the household help, Sunita, was seen on a hospital bed with injury marks on her body and face. The 29-year-old woman has accused the suspended BJP leader of holding her captive and brutally torturing her.

In the video that went viral on social media, the house help Sunita was seen on a hospital bed with injuries on her face and body. She accused Patra of holding her captive and brutally torturing her, such as beating her with rods and iron pans. She alleged that Patra smashed her teeth down.

Police informed that they acted on a tip-off and rescued Sunita from the Patras last week and admitted the house help to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for treatment.

Jharkhand Governor reportedly met Director General of Police Neeraj Sinha in the state on Tuesday and expressed his concern over no action being taken against the BJP leader, who got suspended. The police action comes after this development, it is learned.

A statement from Governor's office said that Governor Ramesh Bais took cognisance of the news of harassment on the house help. The Bais has met the state DGP and asked why no action was taken and expressed his concern over laxity in the police's action.