India downgrades US diplomats’ privileges

Wednesday, 18/12/2013

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131218/main1.htm

New Delhi : The diplomatic stand-off between India and the US over the humiliation of India’s Deputy Consul General in New York last week intensified today with New Delhi announcing a series of retaliatory measures which are bound to badly hit both American and Indian staff working for the American administration in this country.

Agitated over the arrest and handcuffing of Devyani Khobragade in public in New York while she was dropping her daughter to school on Thursday, New Delhi has withdrawn ID cards for officials working at American consulates in India as well as their special airport access passes, sought details of all the Indian staff working for the US missions and schools along with their salaries and bank accounts, stopped special import duty exemptions for American diplomats on all goods, including liquor, and asked Delhi Police to remove all traffic barricades near the US embassy, except the picket. “The law of strict reciprocity is in place. If they (Americans) say Devyani had limited immunity, so will the US officials have here,” source said.

In a clear signal to Washington that India would not tolerate such treatment of a diplomat and resort to diplomatic reciprocity, Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde also refused to meet a US Congressional delegation, now on a visit to India. Yesterday, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and National Security Adviser Shiv Shanker Menon had declined to meet the delegation.

Meanwhile, new Indian Ambassador-designate to the US S Jaishankar, who is in the capital, is believed to be consulting the political leadership on how he would need to deal with the issue once he reaches Washington next week.

The source said the first and the foremost priority for the government was to get Devyani out of the case. Otherwise, her position as an Indian diplomat would become untenable. “It’s not that easy since the charges levelled against her include visa fraud and making false statement,” the source added.

She was accused by Manhattan’s Indian American US Attorney Preet Bharara of visa fraud and exploiting her babysitter and housekeeper. She was later released on a bond of $ 2,50,000 after pleading not guilty.

But the question being asked by many diplomats and foreign affairs experts is how Devyani could pay $ 4500 per month, as stipulated in the US laws, to her domestic help when she herself was drawing about $ 4120 monthly. And if Washington were to apply its laws for workers strictly on all the diplomats working in the US, it would have to handcuff and arrest hundreds of diplomats, one former diplomat pointed out.

It is also being felt that the manner in which she was arrested was absolutely atrocious since even basic courtesies were not extended to her.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said India had taken the issue “very seriously” and has put in motion the process to deal with it in an effective manner. “The person of the officer’s stature being put to that form of indignity for us is completely unacceptable. I can only say that whatever needs to be done is being done,” he added.

Retaliatory steps

The govt has withdrawn ID cards for officials working at American consulates in India

Stopped special import duty exemptions for American diplomats on all goods

Sought details of Indian staff working for US missions and schools along with their salaries

No to US delegation

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde refused to meet a US Congressional delegation on a visit to India. Gujarat CM Narendra Modi also decided not to meet the visiting US delegation in protest against the treatment meted out to Indian diplomat.

Followed procedure: US

The US on Tuesday justified the reported strip search by NY police of the diplomat, saying “standard procedures” have been followed during her arrest. “Diplomatic Security, which is under the State Department purview, followed standard procedures during her arrest,” said government spokesperson Marie Harf.