Suspended BJP Leader Seema Patra, who was arrested over allegedly torturing her Adivasi domestic help, sent her son to Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences when she learnt he was trying to help the 29-year-old tribal woman, Sunita.
Acting on a tip-off from Patra's son, Ayushman Patra, Vivek Anand Baskey, a government officer rescued Sunita after learning how she was being tortured inside the house.
In an interview with NDTV, Baskey said that on August 2 he received a "frantic" call from Ayushman and learnt that there was a girl in his home who had to be rescued.
"It was around midnight on August 2, around 1:15 am. He called me and his voice was at a very high pitch. He was telling me, Baskey, please save that girl. He said Seema Patra was assaulting her in a terrible way," he said to NDTV.
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Baskey added that around the same time, Seema also called him complaining that Ayushman is not acting in a good health and something must be done to control his ansgt.
When Baskey arrived at their residence, he was denied entry into the house.
"Being a responsible citizen, it was my moral duty to save that woman," said Mr Baskey.
After receiving terrifying videos of the assault from Ayushman, Baskey and his wife got into a discussion and eventually he rescued Sunita on the second attempt.
Jharkhand police on Wednesday arrested Patra, wife of a retired IAS officer. Patra had allegedly kept the woman captive in her residence in Ranchi's posh Ashok Nagar area for several years. Patra was suspended by BJP after a video of Sunita, narrating her ordeal, went viral on social media with demands for Patra's arrest.
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'Madam would beat me'
Speaking with the media, Sunita said that she was beaten up whenever she made a mistake while working.
"I have throat issues. What you heard is exactly what happened to me. Madam used to beat me up when I used to make a mistake while working," said 29-year-old Sunita, who is a tribal woman, at the hospital.
Commenting on Patra's action, BJP leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi said, "We came here to meet the victim, she's a poor lady and used to work at her house. The way she was beaten by her was not right. It's good that she has been arrested & the party has also removed her."
