Not just Ravi Thapar: 27 other foreign diplomats under government scanner

India’s High Commissioner in New Zealand, Ravi Thapar, was formally recalled after allegations that his wife, Sharmila, had assaulted a staff member. The victim, believed to be a chef, alleged that he was kept in slavery and was assaulted by Sharmila. [caption id=“attachment_2315498” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ravi Thapar. Ibnlive image[/caption] Now, according to a Sunday Express report, at least 27 Indian diplomats posted overseas are facing charges related to corruption, harassment and dereliction of duty over the last year, according to South Block sources. Of the 27 facing investigation, five are in Indian missions in the UK, five in Madagascar, three each in Kazakhstan and Kenya, two each in Botswana and Mali, and one each in Afghanistan, Austria, Italy, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands and Thailand, reports the Sunday Express. The list of 27 diplomats for 2014-15 is almost thrice that of 2013-14 (10), and over four times more than that of 2012-13 (six). The incident involving Thapar comes after the much talked about incident involving Devyani Khobragade. The charges against Khobragade — then India’s deputy consul general — of visa fraud and underpaying her nanny caused uproar. There was also an outrage over her being arrested and strip-searched in December 2013. In July 2010, Indian diplomat Neena Malhota’s domestic help filed a legal suit against her, which resulted in a US court awarding $1.5 million in compensation to the maid. And in 2011, a domestic worker charged the then Indian consul general in New York, Prabhu Dayal, with underpaying her and the case was settled in 2012, reports Hindustan Times. With inputs from PTI