Indian embassy officials in Bahrain have demanded a government inquiry into the death of a 29-year-old Indian housemaid who committed suicide at her sponsor's house last week.
The embassy and the Migrant Workers Protection Society have also urged police to conduct a full investigation into allegations by Akhtar Allabagayath's family in India that she had been harassed by her Bahraini employer.
"The Criminal Investigation Directorate has confirmed that it is a case of suicide," an Indian embassy official was quoted as saying in Gulf Daily News. "But what we want the police to investigate is the allegation by the woman's family in India that she was repeatedly beaten by her female Bahraini employer."
According to the official, Allabagayath hanged herself on February 26 but 'neither the sponsor nor the police reported it to the embassy'.
The maid is to be buried in Bahrain.
In another case, an Indian housemaid whose female employer was sentenced to three months in jail for assaulting her has finally gone home after a 29-month fight for justice.
Anita Devi Verma has accepted out-of-court compensation of BD1,000 and dropped any further claims, in return for her sponsor's signature on a release form.
The 38-year-old woman was rescued in October 2003 after neighbours heard her screams. Her Indian employer was later arrested and sentenced by the Lower Criminal Court in June last year to three months in jail, the daily reported.
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