Diplomat case: MEA mulls giving deadline to Saudi mission over lack of cooperation

New Delhi: With no response yet from the Saudi Arabia Embassy in connection with a case of rape involving one of its diplomats, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is now mulling to give a deadline to the Saudi mission to cooperate in the investigations.

Despite MEA's repeated appeal for cooperation, the Saudi Embassy has not yet responded to allegations of rape made by two Nepalese women against one of its officials posted in Gurgaon.

MEA had earlier asked the Saudi Embassy to waive the official's diplomatic immunity and cooperate in the investigations. MEA had also earlier indicated that the government will wait for some more time before deciding on any further action in the case.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador Saud Mohammed Alsati was called to the MEA last week and told that the accused diplomat should give a statement to Gurgaon police probing the case.

The Saudi envoy was called a day after MEA had received a "detailed report" about the case from Gurgaon police, including the second medical report confirming rape and sodomy.

The Gurgaon police are also waiting for directions from the MEA on how to proceed in the controversial case.

It is understood that the diplomat along with his family is currently staying in the Saudi Embassy here. The two Nepalese women have already gone back to their country.

The options before Saudi Arabia are to either withdraw the diplomat or waive his diplomatic immunity to enable prosecution proceedings. The latter being very unlikely.

India can declare him persona non grata and expel him if he does not cooperate with the investigation.

The Saudi Embassy has termed the allegations as "false" and said it has protested police "intrusion" into a diplomat's house against "all diplomatic conventions".

The two Nepalese women have alleged that they were confined and raped by the diplomat and his "guests" repeatedly in a flat in Gurgaon on the outskirts of the national capital after which the local police filed an FIR in the matter.