Page Loader
Jharkhand shocker: BJP leader accused of torturing house help, suspended
Jharkhand BJP leader Seema Patra has come under the radar for allegedly torturing her house help for six years.

Jharkhand shocker: BJP leader accused of torturing house help, suspended

Aug 30, 2022
05:05 pm

What's the story

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.

Details

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.

Assault

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.

Twitter Post

Trigger warning: Viral video of Patra's house help

Domestic 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.

Treatment

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.

Information

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.