An Indian American head of an IT consulting firm who once figured among top women business leaders has been accused by the US government of grossly underpaying her live-in domestic help from India and mistreating her by making her sleep in the garage with the family’s dogs when unwell. Himanshu Bhatia, the founder of Rose International, which earned US$ 357 million in 2011, has been charged by the US labour department of violating the Fair Labour Standards Act. She was also accused of subjecting Sheela Ningwal, the help, to ‘callous abuse’ and punishing her for pursuing her rights, according to a complaint filed in a federal court in California recently. Bhatia, who was born in Delhi and went to the School of Planning and Architecture, was named among the 25 top women business leaders in the US by Fast Company web magazine in 2012. She and her family live in San Juan Capistrano, California, and own ‘mansions and luxury penthouse condominiums in Las Vegas, Long Beach, and Miami’, according to the labour department’s complaint.
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