Daijiworld Media Network
New York, Jun 21: Indian Consul General Prabhu Dayal has been accused of misbehaving and ill-treating his former domestic help Santhosh Bhardwaj (45).
Bhardwaj has filed a forced labour-suit against Dayal accusing him of making sexual advances towards her and ill-treating her by making her work overtime, sleep in a closet and confiscating her passport. She said that she wanted justice for all that she went through.
A complaint was filed in the US district court for the Southern District of New York against Dayal, his wife and daughter on Monday, June 20.
The Dayals have been charged of luring Bhardwaj from India with fake promises and subjecting her to a year of forced labour.
However, according to Dayal, Bhardwaj had been absconding since January 2010 after she was prevented from working outside the consulate which was against the rules.
"She was in my employment in Delhi for one year, in Morocco for four years and in New York for eleven months," he said.
He denied the charges of putting her up in a closet, saying Bhardwaj had her own room on the fifth floor of the consulate building in Manhattan, which was equipped with a television and a phone. She was paid well for her services and Rs 14,000 was deposited in her bank account in India every month, he added.
Dayal justified himself saying that he kept the passports of all his family members as a safety measure. He also denied making any sexual advances towards her.