‘PM seeks justice from Saudi Arabia for TN woman’

“The Prime Minister has sought justice for Kasthuri Munirathnam, whose arm was chopped off by her employer, during his recent meeting with Saudi ruler,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour.

Modi had met Saudi King Salman Al Saud in Turkey on the margins of the G20 Summit on November 16. The 56-year-old maid hails from Mungileri village near Katpadi in Tamil Nadu. 

She has since returned home after the brutal attack in Riyadh in October. Swaraj said when the incident of Munirathnam came to light, the Indian Embassy immediately contacted the Saudi Arabian authorities and insisted on registering an attempt to murder case.

“However, I am pained to say that the Saudi authorities soon issued a statement saying she fell down while trying to flee the house of her employer. We have not accepted this and continue to pursue the case to get her justice,” she said. 

The Minister said the government was working with several Gulf countries to stop exploitation of Indian labourers in those countries.

Swaraj, who is also Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, said it was a common complaint that many employers in Gulf countries seize the passports of their Indian employees to ensure that they do not return home easily.