Bangladesh diplomat in trouble
News Desk, bdnews24.com
Published: 2014-03-22 15:40:36.0 BdST Updated: 2014-03-22 19:41:32.0 BdST
It looks like a replay of the Devyani Khobragade case that strained India-US relations seriously.
'New York Post' has reported that Bangladesh's consul general in New York Monirul Islam and his wife were slapped with a lawsuit on Friday for allegedly forcing their ex-servant to work for free under "slavery-like conditions."
Masud Parves Rana, a Bangladesh native, has claimed in the Manhattan federal court that Islam and his wife, Fahima Tahsina Prova, promised to pay him $3,000 per month and provide "good working conditions" if he agreed to work as their servant at their Manhattan apartment, the daily reported.
But Rana claims he was instead forced to steadily work 6:30am to 11pm — or later — daily without pay, sleep in a storage closet or on a mattress in the kitchen, and serve as cook at Bangladesh Consulate events at the whim of Islam.
If he complained, Islam threatened to "kill" him, the law suit says.
Rana — who is seeking unspecified amount of monetary compensation — worked for the family from September 2012 until earlier this month.
"After making such promises and bringing Mr Rana to the United States, defendants maintained him here in forced labour in slavery-like conditions, forbidding him from leaving their residence under his own volition, threatening to beat him or kill him, threatening that the police will arrest and kill him if he left their residence, physically assaulting him on at least two occasions, maintaining possession over Mr Rana's passport and visa, and withholding all compensation from Mr Rana for a period of over eighteen months," the suit says.
He was required to start work at 6:30am, cook all meals from "scratch," iron clothes, wash clothes by hand, clean the apartment, watch the couple's adolescent son and do other chores. He would work until at least 11pm – and sometimes up until 3am if the family wanted a late-night snack, the suit claims.
He was only allowed to eat "expired or leftover food" alone in the kitchen and had to keep his belongings in a plastic bag, the suit alleges.
Rana also claims he could not leave the apartment because Islam said he would be killed or arrested if he tried.
The Bangladesh consulate did not immediately return messages, says the 'New York Post'.
The charges against Islam and his wife make Indian "Nannygate" diplomat Devyani Khobragade — whose New York arrest and strip search last December caused a diplomatic furore between India and the US — look like a generous boss, the paper observed.
Khobragade was indicted by the feds after being accused of lying on official documents that claimed she was paying her female housekeeper $4,500 a month.
In reality, the feds say Khobragade forced Indian national Sangeeta Richard to work 100 or more hours a week, with no day off, for just $573 a month — or as little as $1.22 an hour.
Rana is being represented by lawyer Dana Sussman, who is also representing Richard in the case against Khobragade.EOM
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