BSP MP, wife arrested following maid's death (Third Lead)

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) parliamentarian Dhananjay Singh and his wife were arrested Tuesday for allegedly torturing their maid to death and beating another minor servant with sticks and rods, police said.

Dhananjay Singh, who represents Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested and booked for destruction of evidence and violating the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. His wife Jagriti Singh has been booked for murder, attempt to murder and violating Juvenile Justice Act. She beat and tortured her maid Rakhi, 35, and Rampal, 17, for days, police said.

The police received a call from the MP's flat number 175, South Avenue, in New Delhi area Monday night, informing them about Rakhi's death. The information was given by Dhananjay himself, but he tried to mislead the police, police said.

Police arrested Dhananjay Tuesday evening, several hours after questioning him and his wife.

Earlier Tuesday morning, Dhananjay denied the charges levelled against his wife. "I got a call last (Monday) night that the maid had fallen and died. I rushed back home and informed the police. Now they are doing their job," he said, adding the maid was working at his residence for around a year.

"The incident happened Sunday evening but Dhananjay informed police a day after," said a police officer.

According to a police officer, Rampal told them that Rakhi had died. He said Jagriti Singh used to beat and torture her Rakhi as well as him.

Rampal also said the beatings were going on for several months and Rakhi finally succumbed to her injuries Monday night.

Police said the post-mortem examination would be conducted Wednesday.

According to police, Sunday night Jagriti beat Rakhi and Rampal over a petty issue with an iron rod and sticks. She also used iron press and horns of a dead animal while beating them. Both of them received grievous injuries on their body parts.

Jagriti, who has a Bachelor in Dental Surgery degree and is a senior resident doctor at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, administered first aid at home itself instead of taking them to hospital.

Rakhi of West Bengal was employed nine months ago through a placement agency while Rampal came from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi city.

A maid working in another house told IANS that Jagriti used to torture her maid and servants. A few months back, a maid had left work because Jagriti was torturing her.

Police said Jagriti was staying with her son and servants in the flat allotted in the name of Dhananjay Singh. There was marital discord between the couple for the past seven months and Dhananjay lives in another flat.

Jagriti is the second wife of Dhananjay, whose first wife committed suicide in 2007, police said.