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Lalitha Oraon case headed for a quiet burial

Ranvir Nayar in Paris

The sensational case of Lalitha Oraon, the maid of an Indian diplomat based in Paris, is headed for a quiet burial. Considering the high profile manner in which the case began almost three weeks ago that surely is an anti-climax.

The case is now being handled by Judge Pavec, a magistrate in charge of juvenile cases in Paris city. The judge is to conduct an investigation to determine who the unknown persons, who allegedly mutilated the private parts of Oraon, are.

However, the case could end up making little or no progress, since it depends almost entirely on the testimony of the Indian diplomat, Amrit Lugun, the first secretary in the commercial section of the Indian embassy in Paris. As Lugun enjoys diplomatic immunity, he cannot be forced to answer questions on the issue nor be subjected to any interrogation.

Speaking exclusively to rediff.com, the chief public prosecutor of Paris in charge of minors, Yvon Tallec admitted that without Lugun's testimony, the case will be stalled. ''The case is being handled by the judge and hence it is up to her office. However, it is clear that if the diplomat does not offer any information, he cannot be in anyway forced to do so. And his testimony is extremely vital since he is the most crucial person in the case,'' Tallec said.

An Indian embassy official flatly ruled out the possibility of Lugun making himself available for any questioning by the French authorities. ''He enjoys diplomatic immunity and he will not make himself available for any questioning. Whatever he has to say, he will say it through the Indian embassy,'' the official revealed.

The medical report on Oraon, while establishing that she had been mutilated, had been unable to specify the timeframe in which the mutilation may have occurred. And as Oraon has been in Paris only for the last eight months, there is a chance that it had been done while she was still in India.

This lack of clarity over the crucial element of the time of the mutilation further complicates the task of the French investigators. Tallec also ruled out that the investigations would be conducted outside the borders of France or that they would seek the co-operation of the Indian authorities to detect when the crime may have taken place.

''If we cannot establish that the crime had happened in France, then there is nothing we can do. If it happened in India, it is up to the Indian government to conduct the investigation,'' Tallec said.

When pressed further, Tallec admitted it could also mean that the file would be closed for lack of progress in due course of time.

Meanwhile, in parallel to the investigations, the Indian lobby in Paris has been working hard at conveying to the French government that carrying out a witchhunt in the case would only harm French business interests in India.

''It will vitiate the atmosphere to an extent where French business cannot hope to get ahead in India, unless this issue is resolved very quickly and amiably,'' noted an observer. And reports indicate that some captains of French industry have been making precisely that point with their government over the last week.

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