A 45-year old former domestic help of Indian Consul General in New York Mr Prabhu Dayal has accused him of treating her like a slave and making sexual advances towards her when she worked in his house.

In a labor suit filed before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Ms. Santosh Bhardwaj, mother of four children, charged that Dayal had forced her to work for longer hours daily at $ 300 for month and confiscated her passport. She also accused him of letting her sleep in a storage room and making sexual advances towards her.

Prabhu Dayal however rejected the charge as complete nonsense and described her statement as sheer lie.

Bhardwaj said the Dayals brought her to the US promising an hourly pay of $ 10 and also overtime pay whenever worked. “But I was paid less than $1 per hour and he also confiscated my passport,” she complained.

Dayal clarified that the lady had absconded in January 2010 following denial of permission to her to work out side the consulate as there was no permission under the terms of the Visa. He also said she always slept in a fifth floor room of the consulate which is equipped with phone and TV.

When asked about the allegations, an Embassy staff member said she was bluntly lying. “Dayals treated her like their family member and with respect,” he said.