Seema Patra, suspended Jharkhand BJP leader accused of TORTURING domestic help, ARRESTED

RANCHI: Jharkhand Police has arrested suspended BJP leader Seema Patra, who is accused of torturing her 29-year-old tribal domestic help Sunita, on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off from a government employee, the Ranchi Police had earlier rescued the woman from Patra's posh Ashok Nagar residence last week and recorded the domestic help's statement on Tuesday before a magistrate.

Sunita, a tribal, was employed by the Patras about 10 years ago. Seema Patra, who is the wife of a retired IAS officer, had allegedly kept the woman captive in her residence in Ranchi's posh Ashok Nagar area for several years.

In a viral video, Sunita, who was seen lying on a hospital bed with injury marks on her body and face, accused the suspended BJP leader of holding her captive and brutally torturing her. Sunita also alleged that Patra thrashed her regularly and also broke her teeth with an iron rod. She was also made to lick urine off the floor and was not given food for days.

Patra was suspended by BJP after the video of the woman, narrating her ordeal, went viral on social media triggering demands for Patra's arrest.

Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais also questioned asked DGP Neeraj Sinha as to why no action has been taken against the suspended BJP leader. Members of various tribal outfits visited the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) where the woman is undergoing treatment and met her on Tuesday.