AGENCIES | Bangalore, June 19, 2012 10:48
Tags :
French diplomat | Pascal Muzurier | |
Bangalore Police early on Tuesday arrested French diplomat Pascal Muzurier on the charge of sexually abusing his minor daughter.
"We have arrested Mazurier and taken him into custody from his residence in the early hours...We will produce him in the court later in the day after medical examination," Bangalore Additional Police Commissioner (Law & Order) T. Sunil Kumar said.
Mazurier is the deputy head of chancery in the French consulate here.
Muzurier,39, was charged June 15 under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly raping his nearly four-year-old daughter Stella after his Indian wife Suja Jones complained to the police.
"We got clearance from the external affairs ministry and the union home ministry from New Delhi late Monday for arresting Muzurier. We will seek his custody for interrogating him as part of our investigation into the case," Kumar added.
Earlier on Saturday, the wife of the accused French diplomat, had demanded in a letter that official faces trial in India even if he enjoys diplomatic immunity.
In a letter to Home Minister P Chidambaram and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Suja Jones Mazurier has requested that her husband, Pascal Mazurier, be restrained from leaving the country till legal proceedings were completed and that under no circumstance should he be allowed custody of their children, who are French nationals.
Asha S Basu, counsel for Suja Jones Mazurier, who has written the letters on her behalf, sought protection for her client and her children.
Suja Jones also wanted the French Embassy to be directed to help her with legal and financial assistance, as she was currently unemployed and has to take care of their children.
Suja Jones, an Indian citizen, said she is married to Pascal Mazurier, Deputy Head of Chancery in the Consulate of France, Bangalore and have three children- a seven year-old son, the victim and a 20-month-old son.
She said apart from High Grounds police station here registering a case of rape against the diplomat, in view of the "medical evidence", the Baptist hospital, Bangalore has also registered a medico-legal case against him.
Suja Jones said she has already written to the Ambassador of France intimating the details of alleged domestic violence and repeated child abuse.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law & Order) Suneel Kumar said "the victim (the daughter) has been taken to Government-run Bowring Hospital for a medical examination. The medical report will take some time".
However, he said the police are checking the status of the diplomat with the Union Government to decide on future course of action.
DCP (Central Division) Ravikante Gowda said the diplomat was just questioned and sent back to his consulate, adding, "if necessary, we will question him again."
Issue Dated: Feb 5, 2017
