New York:
Indian Consul General in New York Prabhu Dayal, accused of treating a former domestic help as a "slave" and making sexual advances, has sought her removal from the country on the grounds that she no longer has a legitimate visa to be here.
"I formally request that removal proceedings be commenced against Santosh Bharadwaj," Ravi Batra, Mr Dayal's lawyer, wrote in a letter to Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security and Eric M Holder, Attorney General of the United States.
"As Ms Bhardwaj voluntarily abandoned the employ of the Consul General and the Consulate on January 28, 2010 she is within our borders in violation of her non-immigrant status and conditions of entry into the US", the letter said.
Santosh Bhardwaj, 45, has accused Mr Dayal of making her work for long hours every day at $300 a month, confiscating her passport and making her sleep in a storage closet.
Mr Dayal, who has described these charges as "complete nonsense," said that she ran away because he did not allow her to work outside the consulate to make some extra money as it was against her visa rules.
Mr Dayal has said that he never asked her for a massage, which she interpreted as a sexual advance.
He said that she lived very comfortably in her own furnished room in the consulate and was paid according to the rules.
The Indian government is backing Mr Dayal. Legal Aid Society, which is representing Santosh Bhardwaj said, that Mr Dayal does not have diplomatic immunity since the subject matter of the case is all private.
"I formally request that removal proceedings be commenced against Santosh Bharadwaj," Ravi Batra, Mr Dayal's lawyer, wrote in a letter to Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security and Eric M Holder, Attorney General of the United States.
"As Ms Bhardwaj voluntarily abandoned the employ of the Consul General and the Consulate on January 28, 2010 she is within our borders in violation of her non-immigrant status and conditions of entry into the US", the letter said.
Santosh Bhardwaj, 45, has accused Mr Dayal of making her work for long hours every day at $300 a month, confiscating her passport and making her sleep in a storage closet.
Mr Dayal, who has described these charges as "complete nonsense," said that she ran away because he did not allow her to work outside the consulate to make some extra money as it was against her visa rules.
Mr Dayal has said that he never asked her for a massage, which she interpreted as a sexual advance.
He said that she lived very comfortably in her own furnished room in the consulate and was paid according to the rules.
The Indian government is backing Mr Dayal. Legal Aid Society, which is representing Santosh Bhardwaj said, that Mr Dayal does not have diplomatic immunity since the subject matter of the case is all private.
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