New Delhi: Indo-US diplomatic ties are passing through one of the most turbulent phases in history after India on Wednesday alleged that the arrest of Indian Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragde could have been a US conspiracy.
Six days after Devyani's shocking arrest in New York, the incident witnessed a dramatic twist following India's allegations against the US for the arrest of Devyani in an alleged case of visa fraud related to her domestic help Sangeeta Richards. With the New York publicly arresting, strip searching and locking Devyani up with common criminals, India shifted her to the United Nations Permanent Mission in New York to ensure diplomatic immunity.
Devyani will have to apply for UN accreditation which in turn will need US State Department's approval but the Ministry of External Affairs sees no obstacle in it. Now she will get full diplomatic immunity, not the limited one as a consular official.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said, "We are confident that our message which is loud and clear will be heard, we are two countries which have good relations. An aberration of this kind and departure from past is something we wouldn't want."
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the treatment meted out to Devyani as 'deplorable'. The matter echoed in Parliament and MPs cutting across the party lines slammed the US authorities for illtreating and humiliating her.
Indian Foreign Service Association,too, backed Devyani and voiced its strongest condemnation and outrage at the arrest and shameful treatment meted out by the US authorities to her. The association was firmly of the view that the conduct of the US authorities violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963 and in violation of accepted norms and practice between civilised states.
The association said, "Such an action is unwarranted, excessive and exceptionable and not in keeping with or conducive to the development of India's friendly, wide ranging and cooperative relations with the United States based on mutual respect.
The MEA while pointing out that the US should have handled the matter quietly and not publicly arrested, strip searched and put Devyani in a lockup with common criminals said that summons in the case should have been sent through diplomatic channels.
However, Marie Harf, US Department Deputy spokesperson defended the US authorities by saying, "There are no indications at this point, that the procedures were not followed and this is an important and a sensitive issue.
As more details emerged questions were raised over the US government's role in the whole matter. According to Indian officials the immigration fraud was carried out by Sangeeta Richards and not Devyani. Richards's husband and two children flew out of India on Air India 101 to New York on December 10 after they had got visas from US authorities and the entire thing was planned by US Department of Justice two days before Devyani was arrested.
In June 2013, Indian government had complained to the US over Richards disappearance. In September 2013, the MEA had helped Devyani in filing a case in the High Court and get injunction, warrant against Sangeeta.
But the visas were issued despite India's warning to the US about a warrant and court injunction against Richards's husband.
So far US has not bowed down and has even showed no sign of any kind of regret, but the Indian government is now standing firm and is leaving no stone unturned to protect its diplomat from being arrested again. Devyani Khobaragade who had to surrender her passport, has been transferred to the UN mission, so that she is granted full diplomatic immunity.
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Devyani Khobragade Complaint
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