INDIA. Jharkhand: The BJP today suspended its Jharkhand leader Seema Patra over allegations that she restricted domestic help and brutally tortured her.
Patra was a member of the national working committee of the women’s wing of the BJP. Her husband, Maheshwar Patra, is a retired IAS officer.
Jharkhand BJP chief Deepak Prakash ordered action against Patra after videos of her domestic help accusing her of torture went viral.
In the horrifying videos, a woman, Sunita, is seen in a hospital bed. She is missing several teeth and is unable to sit up. Marks of injuries on her body indicate repeated incidents of assault, local media reported.
The visuals sparked strong reactions, with many calling for Patra’s immediate arrest.
Sunita, now 29, hails from Gumla in Jharkhand and was employed by Patras about 10 years ago. Their daughter Vatsala was moving to Delhi for work and Sunita was helping her. About four years ago, Vatsala and Sunita returned to Ranchi.
The woman claimed that over the next six years she was subjected to brutal torture. Speaking through excruciating pain, Sunita recalls in the videos that she was beaten with hot Tawa and rods and that her teeth were knocked out. She was also forced to lick urine off the floor.
Sunita said the torture was meted out as “punishment” but she did not know what her mistakes were.The woman says Patra’s son Ayushman helped her. “He’s the only reason I’m alive,” she says, her voice choking with pain and tears.
The woman’s sister and brother-in-law were reportedly informed of her ordeal but refused to receive her.In one of the videos, Sunita says at a heartbreaking point that she wants to study further when she gets better.
According to reports, it was Ayushman who narrated Sunita’s situation to a friend and asked him for help. His friend then registered a police complaint after which Sunita was rescued. He is now undergoing treatment at RIMS in Ranchi.
The police are expected to record her statement soon after which they could arrest Patra.
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