Jharkhand police on Wednesday arrested suspended BJP leader Seema Patra on charges of assaulting and torturing her tribal domestic help, who is recovering at a hospital in Ranchi.
Seema, the wife of retired IAS officer Maheshwar Patra, was presented in the SC/ST court in Ranchi and sent to judicial custody till September 12.Cases under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt.), 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 346 (wrongful confinement) and 374 (unlawful compulsory labour) of the IPC have been lodged against Seema along with cases under the provisions of the SC/ST Act.
The matter came to light on Monday when 29-year-old Sunita Khakha was rescued from Seema’s house in Ranchi’s posh Ashok Nagar area. In her statement before the magistrate, Sunita alleged that she was confined, starved, beaten with hot iron rods and pan and made to lick urine.
She was admitted in a critical condition at RIMS in Ranchi.Police sources said it was Seema’s son Ayushman who informed one of his friends about the torture meted out to Sunita. The friend tipped off the police who rescued the girl.
Seema Patra. Picture arranged by Manob Chowdhury
According to the police, the victim is a native of Gumla and was hired as a domestic help by Seema eight years ago.Ranchi senior superintendent of police Kaushal Kishore confirmed Seema’s arrest.
“She was out of the city and was arrested as soon as she returned home on Wednesday morning. She has been remanded in judicial custody till September 12,” Kishore said.On Tuesday, the National Commission for Women had ordered action against Seema.“The atrocity perpetrated on the victim is extremely disturbing and such act of violence against a human is shameful,” an official statement from the NCW read.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma has in the letter to the Jharkhand director-general of police urged him to arrest the accused if the allegations levelled were found to be true besides calling for a fair and time-bound investigation.It has also sought the best medical treatment for the victim and asked the authorities to ensure safe rehabilitation for her.
“The action taken in the matter must be apprised to the commission within seven days,” the statement read.The BJP has distanced itself from Seema, the former Jharkhand convener of the party’s ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign.“BJP has zero tolerance for atrocities against SC and ST communities. When the incident came into the public domain, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Deepak Prakash immediately suspended her,” BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo said.
