Wife ‘beaten’ by Indian diplomat immune from prosecution goes into hiding with son over fears for safety

Daily Mail, By JAMES MILLBANK and ABUL TAHER, 16th January 2011

The wife of a high-ranking Indian diplomat questioned for allegedly beating her at their official London residence says she is living in fear of her life.

Separated: Paromita Verma is said
to be living in fear

Paromita Verma has gone into hiding with the couple’s five-year-old son and has applied for leave to remain in Britain on humanitarian grounds.

Her husband Anil used his diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested for the alleged attack at their £1 million home a fortnight before Christmas. Indian officials refused to waive Mr Verma’s immunity despite Foreign Office requests.

Mrs Verma is now separated from her husband after moving out of their home amid fears she would be forcibly taken back to India.

A close family friend told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Throughout their time over here, Anil would boast about his diplomatic immunity and he would tell Paromita that no one could touch him because of it.

‘He would goad her and say, “Call the police as many times as you want. I’ve got diplomatic immunity.” He was shameless with it. He has been given so much power and he is abusing it.

‘Paromita has gone into hiding and seriously fears that her safety and health are in jeopardy.’

Mr Verma is the third-most senior Indian diplomat in Britain, below only the High Commissioner and the Deputy High Commissioner.

His main role is to promote trade between the two countries and he is believed to have met Business Secretary Vince Cable and other Cabinet Ministers.

Police were called to the family’s home in Golders Green, North-West London, on December 11 after neighbours heard Mrs Verma screaming and saw her run out into the street with blood streaming from her nose.

Officers questioned her husband but were powerless to arrest him because of his diplomatic status.

The friend said: ‘Anil suddenly blew up on the morning of the incident. He was in his pyjamas and suddenly flew into a rage over the fact that there was a Christmas tree in the house that had been given to them from one of Paromita’s relatives.

He stormed up the stairs to grab the tree and throw it out but Paromita followed and tried to stop him because their son had been decorating it.

‘He suddenly turned round and punched her full in the face, very hard. Paromita almost fell down the stairs but grabbed on to the ¬ban¬nister to steady herself.

‘She was screaming and blood was pouring from her nose like a tap. Her clothes were covered in blood and she grabbed a tea towel to stem the flow.

‘Anil did not say a word to her and did not seem to care. He started shouting at Paromita’s mother, who was also in the house, abusing her too.

‘The front door was open and Paromita ran outside, where her neighbours found her. They called the police and an ambulance also arrived at the scene.

‘Neighbours took her into their house to comfort her until the police arrived.’

Mrs Verma was later taken to the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead and gave a statement to police while in the ambulance.

When she returned home, her husband was in another rage after discovering that one of her relatives had contacted the Indian High

Commission over the incident. The friend said: ‘He was furious and started screaming at Paromita, saying, “You and your family think you are smart but I will show you all.”

‘He began threatening his wife and said, “I will take my revenge. I will teach you a lesson.”

Immune: Anil Verma will not face
prosecution

‘Over the next few days he kept threatening Paromita, telling her, “I will finish you and your family.”

‘She was very scared because she knows he can do anything back in India, where he was a magistrate and was very well connected with the police.’

Mr Verma and the Indian High Commission are said to have since changed the locks on the family home, preventing Mrs Verma gaining entry.

Following the incident, the Deputy High Commissioner, Rajesh Prasad, visited the Vermas at their home on two occasions – on December 13 and on January 3.

The friend said: ‘On the second occasion the Deputy High Commissioner berated Paromita for letting the incident go beyond the family.

‘He then told her, “We have decided you will go to India on forced leave. Anil will take you to India and keep you there and if he deigns to bring you back, then he will. He will come back here on his own.”

‘She resisted and explained that their son was ill and receiving on-going medical treatment, but she was told that she would have to leave for India within four days.

‘The Deputy High Commissioner then told her that if she was stubborn then there had been incidents where a car comes and picks up families and simply puts them on a flight against their will.

‘Paromita felt this was a veiled threat to her safety and to that of her son and did not know what to do.’

The following morning Mrs Verma left the family home with her son and went into hiding.

She also began the process of claiming discretionary leave to remain in Britain on the grounds that there is a threat to both her and her family’s safety if she returns to India.

The friend said: ‘She wants justice because she has been deprived of this through her husband’s diplomatic immunity. If her husband hadn’t been able to use his diplomatic immunity then he would have been arrested at the scene of the assault last month.

'He has been given power and is abusing it'

‘But because of this he was not, but Paromita has said that she would willingly assist the police if they came to her again.’

Under the 1961 Vienna Convention, foreign officials, their spouses, children and staff are protected from prosecution in their host country. As a result, embassy staff accused of serious offences can be charged only if their government agrees to waive their immunity.

Last year Foreign Secretary William Hague revealed to Parliament that foreign diplomats had escaped prosecution in 78 serious cases in the previous five years, including allegations of sexual abuse and drink-driving.

Sources at India’s Ministry of External Affairs believe Mr Verma could be forced to return to Delhi in the next few weeks while they conduct their own enquiries.

The Indian High Commission in London said that it was aware of the incident and was looking into it carefully, adding: ‘It involves sensitive and personal issues -pertaining to the individual. It is premature to make any further comments at this stage.’

Mrs Verma’s solicitor, Kamal Rahman, of Mishcon de Reya, said last night that her client was unavailable for comment.

The Foreign Office said it did not tolerate diplomats working in the UK breaking the law.

‘We can confirm that we have formally requested the waiver of diplomatic immunity for a diplomat posted at the Indian High Commission in London,’ it said.

‘In addition, Foreign Office officials met staff of the Indian High Commission in London to discuss the matter and to emphasise the serious nature of the allegations. British High Commission staff in Delhi also met officials of the -Ministry of External Affairs.’

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