Jharkhand shocker: BJP leader accused of torturing house help, suspended
In a jarring incident, Seema Patra, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and the wife of former IAS officer Maheshwar Patra, has been accused of torturing her house help for six years. A resident of Jharkhand, Patra has come under the radar for allegedly physically abusing her domestic help, Sunita, and has now been suspended by the BJP. Patra's son reportedly helped rescue Sunita.
Teeth smashed in, Sunita narrates tale of ordeal
In a video widely shared online on Tuesday, Sunita, a tribal woman, can be seen describing her ordeal. The heart-rending video shows her lying on a hospital bed with her teeth smashed and brutal injury marks on her body. Sunita, unable to sit up, narrates the tale of her assault, stating that she was abused for as many as six years by Patra.
Patra's links with the BJP
Patra is a former member of the national working committee of the BJP women's wing, Mahila Morcha. According to NDTV, Jharkhand BJP head Deepak Prakash has ordered Patra's suspension after the news of Sunita's torture broke. Patra allegedly broke Sunita's teeth with an iron rod and even confined her to a room. She was also reportedly forced to lick urine off the floor.
Trigger warning: Viral video of Patra's house help
Hired 10 years ago, tortured over the last six
Sunita—who hails from Jharkhand's Gumla—was employed by the Patras 10 years ago. After living in Delhi with their daughter Vatsala, she later moved to their Ranchi home. Sunita reportedly said she underwent "brutal torture" as "punishment" over the last six years, but she didn't even know what her mistakes were. She was rescued by the police from the Patras's Ashoknagar residence on August 22.
Sunita received help from Patra's son
Undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi, 29-year-old Sunita said that Patra's son Ayushman helped her escape. "It is only because of him that I am alive," she can be heard saying in a video. Ayushman reportedly narrated Sunita's situation to a friend and asked them to register a police complaint. Sunita now hopes to study further once she gets better.
Police may arrest Patra soon
According to the doctors, Sunita is still in a "dilapidated condition" and will take time to recover. However, the police will register her statement post-treatment and may arrest Patra accordingly. There have been many calls for Patra's arrest after Sunita's videos went viral.
