India recalls envoy to New Zealand after staff member alleges ‘slavery’

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New Zealand media quoted local police as saying that a member of the Indian mission’s staff, who lived in the envoy’s official residence in Wellington, had alleged that he was assaulted by Sharmila Thapar but had declined to file a formal complaint.

The staff member, believed to be a chef, was reportedly found wandering the streets “in a distressed state” after walking nearly 20 km from the High Commission, and was taken to a police station by a local resident.

Local media reported that the man levelled allegations of “slavery” and told police through an interpreter that he was physically assaulted by the envoy’s wife and threatened with assault by Thapar.

“The External Affairs ministry is seized of this matter. It was first brought to the notice of the ministry on May 10, 2015 when one of the service staff members of the high commission in New Zealand was found missing,” Swarup said, hours after reports about the envoy surfaced in the New Zealand media.

After the staff member left the envoy’s residence, Thapar informed New Zealand’s police and foreign ministry. The New Zealand authorities reverted with the information that the staff member had presented himself to the police on May 11 and made certain allegations, Swarup said.

A team was sent from the ministry to New Zealand to ascertain the facts and conduct an independent inquiry — it liaised with local authorities to resolve the matter.

The team also facilitated the return to India of the staff member on May 28.

Media reports said that a “removal van” was seen at Thapar’s Wellington home on Saturday morning and that Sharmila refused to answer questions from journalists.

A New Zealand foreign ministry spokesperson told New Zealand Herald that the “staff member had independent legal representation and decided to return to India”.

Thapar, who began his posting in New Zealand in December 2013, has denied the allegations and said his wife was an “experienced diplomatic spouse” incapable of assaulting an “able-bodied man”.

He told local media that he was going back to India to take care of his mother. “I’m going but to take care of my mum because my dad passed away last year. I can’t keep up 13,000km away just talking to her on the phone,” he said.

Thapar was further quoted as saying that the staff member in question had “absolute freedom to walk away and to do whatever… we trusted him”.