Charrandass apologises for insulting Indian activist at farewell ceremony in India

Charrandass Persaud, Guyana’s outgoing High Commissioner to India, on Sunday apologised for insulting an Indian animal rights activist and accepted that his behaviour was unbecoming of a diplomat.

“…. I would like to offer an apology for my behaviour…,” Persaud stated, but said he was responding to profanities hurled at him.

Persaud said he asked his guards to stray away a dog that steadily bothered him. The activist took care of that dog and many others in the neighbourhood. When he told the woman that the dog bothered him and was taken away, Persaud claimed she became abusive.

“I did in fact hurl abuses after she abused me because I believe in equality but as High Commissioner that should not have happened,” Persaud stated,

As he continued to express his regret, he apologised to the people and government of India, his colleagues and the Guyanese authorities especially President Dr. Irfaan Ali.

Persaud also disclosed that he volunteered to leave his post in India so that the Guyanese Head of State would not be criticised for his (Persaud’s) actions.

“… Instead of the President taking the flak, I said, ‘Look, don’t worry about this, I will leave India and that will bring an end to the whole story’,” Persaud said during a farewell ceremony hosted in India on Christmas Day.

President Ali, in October, publicly recalled Persaud from his post after a video of his altercation with the woman surfaced.

The incident occurred last year but only came to light when the video was released in October, this year.

Guyana’s Foreign Ministry had noted that through communication on September 3 last from the Indian authorities, the complaint by the woman of “sexually abusive words” had “not been substantiated.”

However, in the video, it was clear that Mr Persaud used such language.