Seema Patra, the suspended BJP leader from Jharkhand, has been arrested by the Ranchi police for allegedly torturing and harassing her household help, officials said today.
The BJP had suspended Seema Patra on Tuesday after a video of her domestic help, accusing her of torture, went viral. Ms Patra is wife of former IAS officer Maheshwar Patra.
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.
Sunita has alleged that Ms 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.
Acting on a tip-off, the Ranchi Police rescued the woman from Patras' home last week and took her to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for treatment, officials said.
Ms Patra's arrest comes after Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais met with Director General of Police Neeraj Sinha yesterday and expressed "serious concern" over the delay in action against the suspended BJP leader.
"Governor Shri Ramesh Bais has taken cognisance of the news of harassment of a domestic help Sunita in a very inhuman manner by Seema Patra, a resident of Road No. 1 at Ashok Nagar, Ranchi and wife of a retired IAS officer." "Expressing his displeasure, the Governor has asked the Director General of Police of the state as to why no action has been taken by the police against the guilty persons so far. The Governor has also expressed serious concern over the laxity of the police," a statement from the Governor's office said.
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