Diplomat accused of forced labour

Dayal rubbished the allegations as complete nonsense.

Prabhu Dayal,the Indian Consul General in New York,has been accused of treating as a slave and making sexual advances on a former domestic help,charges he dismissed as complete nonsense.

Santosh Bhardwaj,Dayals former maid,has filed a forced labour-suit against him for forcing her to work long hours everyday at $300 a month,confiscating her passport and making her sleep in a storage closet. She also alleged he made sexual advances on her.

I filed the complaint because I want to be paid for all the labour I provided and for all the injustice I suffered,and I want my passport returned, Bhardwaj 45,a mother of four,said.

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The Dayals did not treat me fairly, she said in a statement issued by the Legal Aid Society,which is representing her.

Bhardwaj said she was lured to the US with a promise of an hourly pay of $10 and overtime pay. Instead,she said,she was made to work for less than $1 an hour,and her passport was confiscated.

Dayal rubbished the allegations as complete nonsense. These are mischievous and malicious lies, he told.