In stark contrast to the manner in which Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was treated in the U.S., New Delhi and the Mumbai Police have adopted established norms of conduct towards a Bahraini Consul-General involved in a case of violence against a woman.
Mohammed Abdulaziz Al Khaja was booked in Mumbai for allegedly molesting the manager of his housing society. But the police refrained from arresting him because he had diplomatic immunity, said sources here.
The police immediately wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs which discussed the case with Bahrain authorities in view of the immunity enjoyed by consular officials under the Vienna Convention. Manama assured it would look into the conduct of the diplomat and haul him up once he returned home after completing his tenure here.
The housing society manager complained that the diplomat got violent and abusive after he found one of the elevators to his apartment floor shut for repairs. She also claimed the diplomat ransacked her office and touched her.
The police have booked him under Sections 354 (molestation), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 504 (intenti-onal insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
Published - December 26, 2013 02:40 pm IST
