Who is Seema Patra? Suspended BJP leader accused of torturing house help

Seema
Patra, a now-suspended BJP MLA, is in the news after video of her house help
claiming she was tortured by Patra, went viral on social media. Patra, who is
said to be around 60 years old, according to media reports, was arrested on
Wednesday for torturing her domestic help, Sunita. Patra has claimed innocence.

Who is
Seema Patra?

Seema Patra
and her husband retired IAS officer Maheshwar Patra live in Jharkhand capital
Ranchi’s posh neighbourhood Ashok Nagar. Prior to her suspension, Seema Patra
was a member of Jharkhand BJP’s national executive. Seema Patra was apprehended
after her son, Ayushman Patra, told his government official friend about their
house help Sunita’s ordeal.

In a video
that has since gone viral, Sunita, the domestic help, accuses Seema Patra of
torture and physical abuse. She says she was held captive and beaten up with an
iron rod and an iron pan. Speaking from a hospital bed, 29-year-old Sunita says
she has lost a number of her teeth and his unable to sit up.

Sunita also
alleges that Seema Patra would make her lick urine off the floor. Sunita had
been working in the Patra household for 10 years.

It was Seema
Patra’s husband Ayushman who came to Sunita’s aid. He rescued her last week
with the help of his friend Vivek Anand Baskey, who went to the cops.

Ranchi
police arrested Seema Patra on Wednesday. Patra, on her behalf, has claimed
innocence. She said the allegations are false and politically-motivated. Her
party, the BJP, suspended her on Tuesday and has now formed a three-member
committee to probe the incident.

According
to media reports, when Seema Patra found out her son was helping Sunita, she
tried to get Ayushman admitted to the Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and
Allied Sciences.

Meanwhile,
Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais called on state director general of police (DGP)
Neeraj Sinha Tuesday and inquired about why there was a delay in the case.
Police say they haven’t found anything so far that implicates Seema Patra’s
husband and retired IAS officer Maheshwar Patra.