Shearer wants official eye kept on former NZ domestic worker

David Shearer.

The police and New Zealand's High Commission in India should keep an eye on the welfare of a former domestic worker at the Indian High Commission in Wellington who claimed he had been assaulted by the High Commissioner's wife, says Labour foreign affairs spokesman David Shearer.

The kitchen worker returned to India in late May without pressing charges after being found on a Wellington street in a distressed state and taken to the Wellington Night Shelter, where he spent several nights. He refused to press charges and just wanted to go home, and High Commission staff refused to be interviewed, police told the Herald.

The police said recent checks with the man in India confirmed he was fine and was happy to be home.

Mr Shearer said that while it was ultimately a matter for India's authorities, further checks on his welfare should be made.

"We at least should be able to keep an eye on it and make sure this guy is treated well. That is not that hard to do, I wouldn't have thought, if we were able to signal to authorities that we want to make sure he gets a fair hearing. They would know we are keeping an eye out."

He had heard that the man was quite scared when found by a member of the public.

A statement from India's Minister of External Affairs said the ministry would investigate the matter further.

Ravi Thapar (right).

An official from the ministry was sent to New Zealand to investigate after the worker fled the High Commission and claimed he had been ill-treated and assaulted by the High Commissioner's wife.

High Commissioner Ravi Thapar is cutting short his posting to Wellington, which began only 19 months ago, but says it is to go back home and care for his mother. He denied any ill-treatment by himself or his wife, Sharmila.

He said that Mrs Thapar was incapable of having assaulted an able-bodied man. He also suggested to NZME news agency that the man might have been encouraged by others.

"People who are not exposed, people who are not educated, people who are sometimes first-timers abroad ... will use this opportunity sometimes to get sympathy from other agencies," he said.

Mr Thapar is not the first Indian diplomat to leave under controversial circumstances: in 2006 commissioner Harish Dogra was sacked after complaints about him by the Indian community.