Indian diplomat Devynani's father Uttam Khobragade, a retired IAS officer has threatened to go on an indefinite fast death demanding justice for her.
On Thursday speaking to media persons at his residence home in Mumbai Khobragade said, “I am going to fast unto death. There is no point living in this world if I am not able to safe guard her honour.”
Taking strong exception to US Attorney Preet Bharara’s statement that Devyani's former house-keeper Sangeeta Richard’s husband was flown out of the country as ‘legal process was started in India against the victim, attempting to silence her’. Appalled by Bharara's audacity to doubt the credibility of Indian courts, Khobragade appealed to the Supreme Court to invoke contempt of court proceedings against Bharara. “Look at their arrogance, Bharara has accused the Indian courts of being unjust, unfair and a tool in the hands of a government which is not capable of protecting the life of Indians,” said Khobragade.
Devyani’s father said that the whole allegations against his daughter were simply an attempt by the girl’s family to get settled in the United States which has been aided by its officials.
“There is no case against my daughter, they claim that my daughter had stated that she would be paying 4500 US dollars to Sangeeta. However the fact is Sangeeta had stated in the form that it was her employer's Devyani's salary was 4500 US dollars, so where is the question that my daughter lied about Sangeeta’s salary,” Khobragade questioned. He said that he had pointed out the same to External Affairs Minister Salman Kurshid who agreed with him that based on the charges brought against Devyani there seemed to be no case.
He further said that it was Sangeeta who had provided the information to the US officials and any discrepancy in the information was due to Sangeeta’s own error and not of her daughter. Calling it a pre-planned conspiracy to humiliate his daughter, Khobragade said that the family of Sangeeta Richard was deliberately flown from the country a few days before the arrest of Devyani.
The former IAS officer also released a letter allegedly written by Sangeeta in which she talks in glowing terms about working for Devyani. The letter has been allegedly signed by Sangeeta and the page has been removed from one of the diaries of Sangeeta.
He said that he would be soon flying to Delhi on December 30 to speak to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to apprise them about his daughter's case.