--- description: The woman was reportedly trying to escape torture and harassment title: Saudi Employer Cuts Off Indian Woman's Hand image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # New Delhi Raises Formal Protest After Saudi Employer Cuts Off Indian Maid's Hand by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 9, 2015 8:55 AM CUT by [Rishi Iyengar](/author/rishi-iyengar/) ## Rishi Iyengar Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 9, 2015 8:55 AM CUT An Indian domestic helper working in Saudi Arabia reportedly had her hand [chopped off](http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/saudi-employer-chops-off-indian-womans-hand-delhi-seeks-action/ "undefined") by her employer when she attempted to escape their home, sparking outrage and prompting an official complaint to the Saudi government from India’s foreign ministry. The woman’s attempt to escape was motivated by repeated harassment and abuse she endured after moving to the Middle East nation three months ago, the _Indian Express_ newspaper reported. Sushma Swaraj, India’s Minister for External Affairs, called the incident “unacceptable” on Twitter and said her office had taken it up with Saudi authorities. She also said the Indian embassy is in touch with the victim, who is recovering at a hospital in the Saudi capital Riyadh. > [](https://twitter.com/SushmaSwaraj/status/652323117897940992) Kasturi Munirathinam, a 50-year-old mother of four, reportedly incurred the wrath of her employers when she notified local authorities about her alleged ill-treatment. “We are told that the incident happened on the night of Sept. 29 after she complained about torture and non-payment of wages by her employer,” her sister S Vijayakumari, who lives in the south Indian city of Vellore, told the _Express_. “He chopped off her hand when she tried to escape from the house through the balcony. Some neighbours and others took her to hospital.” The family learnt about the incident through an “agent” who arranged for her sister’s job, Vijayakumari explained, adding that she had also been sent a video of Munirathinam by a visitor to her hospital. In the video, the victim is seen asking to be brought back to India and describing her attempted escape using a sari. The practice of relocating to Arab nations in order to earn money as domestic workers or day laborers is fairly common in India, and Munirathinam’s family said she moved to Saudi Arabia because of financial woes following the weddings of her three daughters. “This is a very unfortunate and most condemnable incident,” Vikas Swarup, spokesman for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, [told](http://www.ptinews.com/news/6594368%5FHand-chopping-incident--It-s-unacceptable--says-Swaraj.html "undefined") the Press Trust of India on Thursday. “Our Embassy in Riyadh has taken up the matter with the Saudi Foreign Office and asked for strict action in the matter and severe punishment for the sponsor \[employer\]. “We have also sought an independent probe in the incident and urged that a case of attempted murder be lodged against the sponsor so that he is punished, if found guilty as per law,” he added. ### See The History of US—India Relations in 12 Photos  1942: The US held loose relations with "The British Raj" before Indian independence. Yet the Western nation did maintain an Airfield base in Dinjan,India during this time. (Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Ivan Dmitri—Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images  1949: Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru takes his first trip to the US and meets with President Harry S. Truman in Washington, Oct. 11, 1949. PhotoQuest/Getty Images  1959: US President Dwight D. Eisenhower makes the first official state visit to India’, joining Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the Taj Mahal at Agra, India on Dec. 13, 1959. AP  1962: The Kennedy Administration openly supported India during the Sino-Indian War. The US Air Force flew in arms and aid to Indian troops on the Chinese border, Nov. 1, 1962. Larry Burrows—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  1973: In the early 70s, America's relationship with India deteriorated as the Nixon administration became close allies with Pakistan, viewing India as an ally of the Soviet Union. Here, President Nixon meets with Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan in the oval office of the White House in Washington on Sept. 18, 1973. AP  1978: When the anti-Soviet Janata Party came to power in the late 70s, Indian relations with the US began to improve. President Jimmy Carter visited Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai in New Delhi in 1978. Charles Harrity—AP  1987: In the 1980s, the Reagan Administration began to provide limited aid to India and eventually defense technology such as combat aircraft and naval engines. President Ronald W. Reagan met with India's Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Washington on Oct. 1 1987. Diana Walker—The TIME & LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  1998: India began nuclear testing in Pokhran in 1998, despite strong condemnation from the US. President Bill Clinton imposed economic sanctions against India. T.C. Malhotra—Getty Images  2005: After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the US worked closely with India to strategically monitor the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal to Singapore. Here, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi Prakash Singh—AFP/Getty Images  2004: The US and Indian navies cooperated on rescue efforts after the Dec. 2004 tsunami that affected the Indian subcontinent. AFP/Getty Images  2010: India-US relations became strained during the Obama Administration due to its policies on insurgents in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pedro Ugarte—AFP/Getty Images  2014: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at Madison Square Garden in New York City on his first visit to the US as Prime Minister, after his US visa had been revoked and reinstated. Lucas Jackson—Reuters ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4067663/saudi-woman-india-hand-chopped-employer-sushma-swaraj/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4067663/saudi-woman-india-hand-chopped-employer-sushma-swaraj/"},"headline":"New Delhi Raises Formal Protest After Saudi Employer Cuts Off Indian Maid's Hand","datePublished":"2015-10-09T08:55:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:19.032Z","description":"The woman was reportedly trying to escape torture and harassment","url":"https://time.com/4067663/saudi-woman-india-hand-chopped-employer-sushma-swaraj/","keywords":["India","Saudi Arabia","employer"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rishi Iyengar","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rishi-iyengar/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4067663/saudi-woman-india-hand-chopped-employer-sushma-swaraj/","name":"New Delhi Raises Formal Protest After Saudi Employer Cuts Off Indian Maid's Hand"}}]}] ```