French diplomat Pascal Mazurier was on Tuesday arrested on the charge of raping his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter and remanded in 14 days judicial custody by a court in Bengaluru.
The arrest came amid public outrage a day after the Ministry of Home Affairs informed city police that Mazurier did not enjoy diplomatic immunity and action could be taken as per law.
High Grounds police, under whose jurisdiction the French consulate office in Bengaluru is located, took Mazurier into custody on the basis of a complaint by his Indian wife Suja Jones Mazurier, the police said.
After his arrest on Tuesday morning, the police subjected him to intense questioning and later produced him before the jurisdictional magistrate.
"A magisterial court has sent Mazurier to 14 days judicial custody for his alleged crime of raping his daughter," Deputy Commissioner of Police (law and order) T Suneel Kumar told PTI.
Chaos prevailed when Mazurier was brought to the High Grounds police station and also when he was taken to the state-run Bowring Hospital for a medical check up after his arrest.
As he was being escorted by the police after medical examination, a couple of people hit him from behind, apparently giving vent to their anger over his alleged conduct.
The police had registered a case of rape against Mazurier, deputy head of Chancery in the consulate of France, Bangalore.
French government sources had said in Delhi that Indian law would take its course as Mazurier, working in its Bengaluru consulate, does not hold a diplomatic passport and enjoys no immunity.
The home ministry had asked the Karnataka police to approach the French consul general to get access to Mazurier.
In Delhi, Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said this is the worst kind of crime that can be committed. "We deeply abhor this crime and the law has taken its course. He (Mazurier) has been arrested. The process will be on and he will get his due punishment through the courts," she said.
Suja has accused her husband of raping their daughter and requested that he be restrained from leaving the country till legal proceedings are completed and that under no circumstance should he be allowed custody of their three children, who are French nationals.
She had appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to intervene in the matter.
Suja had reported the case to police with the help of a Bengaluru-based NGO after her maid told her that her child was sexually abused by her father.
With inputs from PTI
