BSP MP, wife sent to police custody for maid's death

A Delhi court Wednesday sent Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) parliamentarian Dhananjay Singh and his wife, arrested for allegedly torturing their maid to death, to five days' police custody.

Dhananjay Singh, who represents Jaunpur Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested and booked for destruction of evidence and violating the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. His wife Jagriti has been booked for murder, attempt to murder and also for violating the Juvenile Justice Act.

Jagriti allegedly beat and tortured her maid Rakhi, 35, and another help, Rampal, 17, for days.

Dhananjay and Jagriti, a dental surgeon at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here, were presented before Metropolitan Magistrate Dheeraj Mittal, who remanded them in police custody.

The court said: "I have perused the records and considered the submissions made by the additional public prosecutor for the state and counsel for the accused persons."

"The alleged offences are of a very serious nature. The accused persons have been arrested yesterday, i.e Nov 5. In my considered opinion for the recovery of the case property and in aid of the investigation, five days' police custody remand is desirable. Accordingly, both the accused are remanded in police custody till Nov 11."

Seeking seven days' police custody of both, additional public prosecutor Mukul Kumar said the police have to recover weapons, including an iron press and video footage of the CCTV cameras installed at their residence where the incident took place.

The police said besides the maid, who is now dead, two more domestic helps, including Rampal, were employed at the MP's residence and were also beaten up mercilessly by Jagriti, 29, and her husband Dhananjay, 38.

One maid, Meena, was severely injured and is undergoing treatment at a hospital here, the police added.

They said the accused used wooden sticks, iron rods, iron press and even metallic deer horns to beat the maids with.

The police also presented minor domestic help Rampal, 17, in court and he showed to the judge the injuries inflicted on him by the couple.

Regarding Dhananjay, the police said after the incident he tried to destroy the video recording of 20 CCTV cameras installed in his house.

However, senior advocate Hariharan, who appeared for Dhananjay, said the MP had nothing to do with the alleged incident as he was not residing at the South Avenue house here.

Dhananjay was in his Jaunpur constituency and when he got information of the maid's death, he rushed to Delhi and himself informed police about it, the defence counsel told the court.

Dhananjay has already filed for divorce against Jagriti and the matter is pending before a court here, counsel informed the court.

Jagriti administered first aid to Rakhi and Rampal 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.

Police said Jagriti was staying with her son and servants in the flat allotted in the name of Dhananjay Singh.

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