On September 29, an enraged Saudi employer chopped-off an Indian worker's hand who was working as a domestic help at her house. Following outrage in India, both the Indian and Saudi governments had stepped in to help Kasthuri Muniratnam, the Indian house-help in Saudi, who hailed from Tamil Nadu. You can read about it here. But now, the Saudi government seems to be backing the employer who brutalised Kasthuri. Below is the full-text of the letter written by Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa to PM Narendra Modi seeking his intervention.
I write to seek your personal intervention in the matter pertaining to the brutal attack on a poor female household worker in Saudi Arabia, Ms. Kasthuri Munirathnam, who hails from Vellore District in Tamil Nadu. As you may be aware, Ms. Kasthuri has suffered grievous injuries, including a severed arm. Her life is reportedly at risk.
On receipt of information of this ghastly incident, on my instructions, the Government of Tamil Nadu had taken up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs. The report received from the Indian Embassy in Riyadh through the Ministry of External Affairs indicates that Ms. Kasturi had clearly stated that the injuries had been inflicted on her by her employer.
The officials of the Indian Embassy who had interacted with the doctors attending on Ms. Kasturi have stated that her mental condition had been assessed as being “very stable”. However, recent media reports indicate that the Saudi Police are trying to project a picture as though the injuries were suffered while Ms. Kasturi tried to escape from her employer’s home and were not inflicted by the employer and also that her mental condition was not very stable.I reflect the concern of the family and the people of Tamil Nadu as there is an apprehension that there could be an attempt to protect her local employers and deprive the poor domestic worker of even her basic human rights. Ms. Kasturi who hails from Vellore District of Tamil Nadu had gone to Saudi Arabia to eke out a living and to support her family. Considering the circumstances of her case, the Government of India should take all steps to provide the best medical treatment to her and ensure her early and safe return to India. During the period of her stay in Saudi Arabia adequate security also needs to be provided to her.
I request you to kindly have the matter taken up at the highest level possible so that justice is meted out to Ms. Kasturi and she is afforded the best possible medical treatment; provided with adequate financial compensation for the injuries and hardship that she has suffered and is enabled to return home safely at the earliest.
I request an early response in the matter.