British media report drags deputy high commissioner into Anil Verma - Paromita domestic violence case

A BRITISH media report which broke that 1989 batch IAS officer Anil Verma’s wife Paromita had gone into hiding to continue staying in UK with her five-year-old son, has also dragged in Indian deputy high commissioner to UK and 1980 batch IFS Rajesh N Prasad into the controversy as it claimed that Prasad tried to influence Paromita Verma (In picture) to go back to India after the news came out in public that she was beaten up by her husband Anil Verma, the third senior most diplomat in Indian High Commission in London.

Meanwhile, Verma who also had served as private secretary to Pranab Mukherjee when the latter was the foreign minister during UPA-I, is recalled from London. Verma, a West Bengal cadre IAS, was appointed as minister (economic), in high commission of India, London in June 2009 for a three year term.

According to the report published in British tabloid The Mail on Sunday, Paromita Verma was persuaded by Indian high commission officials to come back to India after it refused to waive off the diplomatic immunity of Verma. The report said that after the incident, deputy high commissioner Prasad visited the Vermas at their home on two occasions – on December 13 and on January 3, and even berated Paromita Verma for letting the incident go beyond the family. The report, however, did not accommodate Prasad’s clarification, if any, about the allegation. The Indian high commission in London issued a statement saying that “the incident involves sensitive and personal issues -pertaining to the individual. It is premature to make any further comments at this stage.”

Prasad who had earlier served as joint secretary in India’s ministry of external affairs, hogged the limelight ahead of the Delhi Commonwealth Games in October, 2010, when he wrote a letter to the sports ministry about UK government’s allegation that 25,000 pounds sent from the CWG in India to a company, AM films, in UK, is unaccounted for.