Headlines
Not leaving New Zealand because of allegations: Indian envoy
Wellington, June 27
India's High Commissioner
to New Zealand Ravi Thapar on Saturday said he was not leaving the
country because of assault allegations against his wife but because he
wanted to take care of his mother living in India.
Thapar's wife
has been accused of physically assaulting a domestic help at their
residence. He has denied the allegations and said his wife was an
"experienced diplomatic spouse" incapable of assaulting an "able-bodied
man".
"I'm going but to take care of my mum because my dad passed
away last year. I cannot keep up 13,000 km away just talking to her on
the phone," The New Zealand Herald quoted him as saying.
Referring
to the alleged assault charges, he said: "You must understand that
people who are not exposed, people who are not educated, people who are
sometimes first-timers abroad, who have heard of these will use this
opportunity sometimes to get sympathy from other agencies."
According
to earlier media reports, a man spoke to the police through an
interpreter on May 9 and alleged that he was physically assaulted by
Thapar's wife.
Police said the domestic help did not want to take
the matter further and wanted to go home. The staff member left New
Zealand on May 28.