British woman who went to India to help poor orphaned kids issues plea for help after being charged with manslaughter
Narges Ashtari, 28, from Exeter, Devon, says she has been kept in country for two years and claims to be victim of corruption
A BRITISH woman who moved to India to help poor orphaned children says she has been trapped there for two years after being accused of manslaughter.
Narges Ashtari, 28, grew up and went to school in Exeter, Devon, before moving to India and setting up the Prishan Foundation.
The foundation has since built an orphanage for girls and a home for blind children in the eastern state of Odisha.
But since the disappearance of a child at a picnic, Narges has become embroiled in a criminal case and now faces a possible jail term if convicted.
She insists she has been wrongly accused and is the victim of India’s infamous corruption, which is endemic in parts of the country.
The charity worker has now issued a desperate plea to her old friends and colleagues in England to support her in her hour of need.
An online campaign has been launched calling on the Indian Prime Minister to intervene in her case – which has been rumbling on for two whole years.
Narges fears she will not get a fair trial and is calling on people to support her by adding their names to an online petition.
She revealed she has been denied permission to leave the country until the legal action has concluded.
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She said: "I feel betrayed. I have spent years in this area and we have made a huge difference – this is how I have been repaid.
"There is only so much I can put up with.
"I feel like going somewhere else but this just seems to be dragging on. There have been just three hearings so far."
Narges first arrived in India in 2011 and began working with local groups to help poor kids get a better education.
But tragedy struck in 2014 at a riverside picnic for staff, parents and children when a young girl vanished and was never found.
The child is feared to have drowned and Narges is now being held responsible in what she says is a conspiracy.
The charity worker claims she is being targeted by vengeful locals intent on destroying her work or extorting money.
She says the British Embassy has not helped but an online petition has helped her cause, reminding people in India that she is not alone in her fight.
She said: "I grew up in Exeter and see myself as being as British as you can be.
"Because of the childhood I had – losing my mother and father – I just wanted to give something back.
"I travelled a lot and found myself here – a place where lots of people are in need.
"We have done real work but there are lots of bad people here and they take advantage.
"When they see somebody from the outside they just see money.
"At least I have a voice to speak to the outside world – something a lot of people here don't have.
"If this can happen to a British national like me I cannot imagine what can happen to them."
She added: "I still have friends in Exeter who I grew up with who have always been in touch even though I have been all over the place.
"If people sign my petition it really helps. People see names from around the world and think 'she's not alone'.
"All I ask is that I get a fair trial."
To sign the petition, visit .
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