Help Manasi Das displays her injured wrist. (Above): The Dewanji residence. Pictures by Amit Datta

The secretary of a social welfare NGO and his daughter were arrested in their Viveknagar home on Wednesday for allegedly torturing and confining a minor girl, who worked as their help.

Manasi Das, 16, alleged that Moloy Dewanji, 60, and his homemaker daughter Ananya Bhattacharya, 27, had kept her confined in a room on the first floor of the four-storey house since April 12. According to the girl, she wasn’t given food since then and Ananya regularly beat her up.

SM Sebika Centre, a placement agency in Bagha Jatin, had found the job for Manasi, who hails from Nandigram. She had been working since April 8 for Dewanji, the secretary of the Liberal Association for Movement of People. The organisation, headquartered on Surya Sen Street, does social welfare and development work in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa and New Delhi.

Around 10am on Wednesday, Manasi ran to a group of people who had gathered outside the house of councillor Hena Chakraborti — a stone’s throw from Dewanji’s home. She was bleeding from an injury on her left wrist.

“Manasi told us that Ananya had been beating her with a heavy stick. She had ran out of the house after finding the door open,” said Chakraborti.

The residents informed Kasba police station. The girl was taken to MR Bangur Hospital for treatment.

“Dewanji and his daughter were arrested around noon. They have been charged with voluntarily causing harm and conspiracy,” said Praveen Kumar, the superintendent of South 24-Parganas police.

“Ananya had accused me of stealing Rs 5,000 last Thursday but the money was found minutes later. Since then, she had been threatening to lodge a false complaint against me with the police if I did not work for her father,” said Manasi.

Dewanji’s lawyer Tarun Goswami denied the allegations and said his client was being framed.