India-US Strategic News and Discussion

[habal]

Former researcher with US Embassy, Aparna Srivastava takes steps against US diplomat

I had barely worked for three months when the incident happened. I was holding a senior position as an Indian employee in the Embassy on a permanent position and did not deserve this treatment. It is still a nightmare for me," a visibly dejected Srivastava told ET. Srivastava alleged that she was dismissed, as she was not following the diktats of her superior, Stacy Pearce (the American Diplomat), under whom she worked in the human rights section since she was employed at the Embassy in July 2012.

"Stacy wanted me to write reports on human rights issue in a fashion that would suit interests of the US government in India. But this is unethical and distortion of the facts," she noted. "I was dismissed on the grounds that I was defensive and argumentative. I was also accused of being pro-Indian government and pro-National Human Rights Commission. But I would never be disloyal when I am working in a particular organization. I was just giving an unbiased and honest opinion in my reports," Srivastava claimed.

Before joining the Embassy, she was employed with NHRC for seven years. Describing her ordeal on the fateful day, she said the Human Resource department kept her confined in a room with no contact with outside world.

Her phone was also allegedly seized and forced to sign a 'pre-drafted resignation' letter. Subsequently Srivastava was sent out of the Embassy and packed up in a taxi with two boxes of some of her personal belongings. The remaining portion of her belongings was sent to her home at her insistence later.

"This entire episode left me without a job which made life difficult. Later the Embassy paid all my dues. Over the past year I have written several times to the US Embassy including the Ambassador for an audience with Nancy Powell. But I am yet to hear from her or any other diplomat," said Srivastava, adding, "I have contacted the Americas Division of the MEA with all documents. I narrated my ordeal and that I was dismissed under duress. They will look into my case." But Srivastava remains crestfallen and yet to recover from her experience.

No wonder most Indians in US prefer to err on the side of caution while amply toeing US line.

Will they try such a stunt with Israel ? Mossad will most likely rape/kill/maim that Stacy Pearce thing and drop her somewhere in shark infested part of mediterranean, i.e. if the overzealous americans do not pull her out and castigate her already.

That is the difference between us and a real ally. Will some naive Indians please stop saying that both countries have 'common goals' and are 'potential allies', I do not think our goals are common at all. Unless India changes it's goals to using custodial rape to diplomatic ends and forging fake human rights reports about the host country as a norm. US policy wrt India is same as that of the Soviet times, this time around though they are also pretending to be friends and thus are doubly dangerous.

My another feeling is that they are using Manmohan Singh's final blimp of his innings as a safety valve to hit back at any sections of Indian state that have held out against them. They are confident in their belief that he will not prosecute any drastic action against them.

[Singha]

if we look at futurist science fiction, the top dog future states (military/economic sense) are always somewhat like the US - law enforcement/mil-ind complex and religious fanatics rule the roost in a authoritarian way, with intrusive access into what everyone is doing....people are kept fed on a diet of cool aid and TV but if they step 1mm out of control the clampdown is severe. lots of films on such themes as well like hunger games, Equilibrium

people should not be surprised. the US has always been a 'soft' police state. black guys have got put away for 20 yrs for stealing $165 jacket...while "wolves of wall street" get some 12 months in min security facility.

http://www.democracynow.org/2013/11/15/ ... stealing_a
Jailed for Life for Stealing a $159 Jacket? 3,200 Serving Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Crimes

A shocking new study by the American Civil Liberties Union has found that more than 3,200 people nationwide are serving life terms without parole for nonviolent offenses. Of those prisoners, 80 percent are behind bars for drug-related convictions. Sixty-five percent are African-American, 18 percent are white, and 16 percent are Latino — evidence of what the ACLU calls "extreme racial disparities." The crimes that led to life sentences include stealing gas from a truck, shoplifting, possessing a crack pipe, facilitating a $10 sale of marijuana, and attempting to cash a stolen check. We speak with Jennifer Turner, human rights researcher and author of the new ACLU report, "A Living Death: Life Without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses."

---
above is exactly how such future states are shown dealing with 'undesirables' . the future is already here gentlemen.

[habal]

The girl in that video is Hope Steffy wikipedia.org/wiki/Stark_County_Sheriff's_Office‎

She may have been assaulted by somebody high up in US chain and thus the county sheriff came in to teach her a lesson instead of arresting the culprit.

[pankajs]

ibnlive.in.com/news/india-asks-us-embassy-not-to-screen-movies-at-american-centre/443279-3.html

India asks US Embassy not to screen movies at American Centre

Piling further pressure, India has asked the US Embassy not to screen any movies at the American Centre without obtaining a licence and gave it a deadline of January 20 to do so.

The American Centre regularly screens movies for invited audiences apparently without a licence to do so.To stop this "transgression", a notice has been sent by the government. This is yet another step by India in retaliation for the arrest and humiliation of its Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade, a 1999-batch IFS officer.

"To relentlessly put a stop to transgressions of US institutions in Delhi, Government has now brought the activities of the American Centre under the scanner," sources said. In a "tersely-worded communication sent to the American Centre on Friday, a deadline of 20th January, 2013 has been given to the American Centre to comply with Govt of India laws and Delhi Govt regulations and obtain license for screening films", the sources said.

"Failure to comply with the directive would result in the American Centre having to cease screening films from 21 January", they added. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday has termed the arrest of Khobragade as "temporary aberrations" in Indo-US strategic relationship and said diplomacy should be given chance to resolve the issue.

[anmol]

The girl in that video is Hope Steffy wikipedia.org/wiki/Stark_County_Sheriff's_Office‎

She may have been assaulted by somebody high up in US chain and thus the county sheriff came in to teach her a lesson instead of arresting the culprit.

I dont know:-

Valentina Dyshko incident[edit]

Valentina Dyshko, a Ukrainian woman with limited English capability filed suit allegeding that she was the victim of a strip search by male officers at the Stark County Jail. This case was reportedly settled by the Stark County Sheriff in 2008.[9][10]

Further victims and allegations[edit]

During the Steffey case, it was discovered that 128 women had experienced strip search, naked isolation or related treatment between 1999 and 2007. Privacy concerns prevented the identification of these women which led Steffey's lawyers to use the billboard to encourage other women to come forward.[11] Following the bill board and media reporting on the incident, five women, including Valentina Dyshko, came forward to report similar experiences with Stark County Sheriff's personnel[12] including "Elizabeth" (a pseudonym) who was herself employed in a medium security jail. She reported being accused of suicidal behavior and strip-searched after being arrested for defending herself against inappropriate touching by a sheriff deputy during a traffic stop following a lane change without signaling. The sheriff had accused her of failing a breath test when her asthma prevented her from blowing sufficiently strongly during said breath test.[13

[Satya_anveshi]

it is an abject lesson to all Indian middle-class aspirants as to what USA is all about.

If this is "standard practice", then Osama bin Laden has won the war on terror hands down.

forget Indian and other aspirants, there mofos have screwed their own countrymen beyond wildest imaginations. This is like..US folks target practicing on their mothers/sisters before they go screw some Iraqis and/or Pashtuns.

[pankajs]

US is a country where rape by law enforcement is part of sop sanctioned by the US supreme court.

[anmol]

[SSridhar]

That video is not DK, at least to me. But, this cavity search by the Uncle is very barbaric and reminds me of the virginity test by the Aunty. We know that the US violates all forms of human rights all over the world with impunity and at will but posts above must open the eyes of its barbaric behaviour within its own country.

[Altair]

US has successfully managed to polarize MEA and PMO.

[SSridhar]

So it was a US State Dept play all along with preet Bharara roped in for the actual arrest. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security handed DK over to USMS for the cavity search etc. And were quite mum early on and let Bharara take the flak!!!

ramana, Preet Bharara cannot escape so easily. He should have known how to handle a diplomat/consul. The usual 'intake procedure' must have been waived off, even if she were arrested. He cannot feign any ignorance or put on a show of injured innocence now. In fact, India does not care if it was Bharara alone or SD alone or a combination of both that committed this barbaric crime. For India, the US State Department takes all the blame anyway because without its explicit approval, this could not have happened and MEA deals only with USSD, not with some attorney of some district. And, it is up to the US to take action down the line on its staffers for far exceeding their brief and bringing international relations to a brink. However, we need to see punishments and apologies all around, before a semblance of normalcy is returned. In any case, the US embassies/consular offices in India must permanently lose their extra privileges.

[Satya_anveshi]

To be honest, the girl in the video doesn't look like DK to me but even if 0.1% of what is shown in the video was done to DK, the US has gone way too far and needs to get smacked. Maybe all US needs to do to avoid that is promise MMS a Pakistani Visa to visit his beloved birth place.

How much of what is shown is done can be grasped in the usage of the two terms - US Marshals and SOP. What SOP is can be grasped using the video where US Marshals are performing the search. QED.

[a_bharat]

Perhaps the video was not that of DK, but of someone else as some posters pointed above. That explains the weird wording of US SD's statement. They wanted to say that it was not DK, but without admitting that they do these things in the name of "standard procedure". So, it was not US Marshals, but policemen of some US state -- what difference does it make?

"This hoax video, which I think has appeared on some news websites without obviously confirming its authenticity, because it's not, we find it deeply troubling, irresponsible and reckless and condemn, again, this dangerous fabrication.

Well, it is not a fabrication -- may be the victim is someone else.

I want to make very clear this is not a video of her," Harf said.

Harf said the State Department spoke with the US Marshals Service on this issue.

"They confirm that the footage in question does not depict US marshal employees, obviously that the search methods depicted in the video are not US marshals' policy. I haven't watched the video myself. But I want to be very clear in saying this is not how we do things here," she said.

[Satya_anveshi]

I think there is no bigger jolt than a threat of proceeding with much closer scrutiny of activities at Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad consulates. Not that it should not be done regardless of this shituation.

[Philip]

The US has been voted the "biggest threat to world peace" in 2013,with its favourite rent-boy and catamite,Pak in second place and the dragon 3rd!

http://rt.com/news/us-biggest-threat-peace-079/

US the biggest threat to world peace in 2013 – poll
Published time: January 02, 2014 13:30

The US has been voted as the most significant threat to world peace in a survey across 68 different countries. Anti-American sentiment was not only recorded in antagonistic countries, but also in many allied NATO partners like Turkey and Greece.

A global survey conducted by the Worldwide Independent Network and Gallup at the end of 2013 revealed strong animosity towards the US’s role as the world’s policeman. Citizens across over 60 nations were asked: “Which country do you think is the greatest threat to peace in the world today?”

The US topped the list, with 24 percent of people believing America to be the biggest danger to peace. Pakistan came second, with 8 percent of the vote and was closely followed by China with 6 percent. Afghanistan, Iran, Israel and North Korea came in joint fourth place with 5 percent of the vote.

The threat from the US was rated most highly in the Middle East and North Africa, those areas most recently affected by American military intervention. Moreover, the survey showed that even Americans regard their country as a potential threat with 13 percent of them voting the US could disrupt global status quo.

Latin America expressed mixed feelings towards its northerly neighbor, with Peru, Brazil and Argentina all flagging the US as the most dangerous country.

After its numerous threats of a strike on Iran, many countries voted Israel was the biggest threat to prosperity. Morocco, Lebanon and Iraq all chose Israel as the number one danger to world peace.

In the survey participants were also asked: “If there were no barriers to living in any country of the world, which country would you like to live in?” Despite being the perceived largest threat to world peace, the US still topped the tables by a narrow margin of 9 percent.

In general 2013 saw a drop in approval ratings for the Obama Administration. A poll conducted by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that 50 percent of those asked thought that the political system in the US needed a “complete overhaul.”

In addition, 70 percent of Americans believe the government lacks the ability to make progress on the important problems and issues facing the country in 2014.”

The survey comes two months after the first government shutdown in 17 years in the US which cost the country an estimated $10 billion.

The American government’s credibility was dealt a blow earlier this year when President Obama made a call to strike Syria following a suspected chemical weapons attack by the Syrian government on civilians. The American public and the international community both opposed the action.

[Satya_anveshi]

Above report is another shot at Kerry and lends credence to the theory suggesting a rift between K and O.

On Af-Pak, Kerry was rated C- by some reporter. If it was Ind-Pak, idiot would have pulled at least a B+ by increasing aid to terrorist pukis and MMS expressing his repeated gratitude on behalf of India.

[vic]

The video of Steffy from Stark County led to costs and award of USD 800,000 in settlement and Stark County has continued to maintain that it as "Standard operating procedure". In another case, around USD 500,000 were awarded against Stark County.

This SOP excuse is being used as an instrument of Public Gang Rape by US Law Enforcement agencies on large scale both against men and women. They have turned back to middle ages.

[vic]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1414668

Texas state troopers caught on camera probing women's privates aren't isolated incidents: lawyers

The first video was graphic enough. Two women, as shown in a Texas state trooper’s dash cam recording, are probed in their vaginas and rectums by a glove-wearing female officer after a routine traffic stop near Dallas.

A few days later, a second video surfaced. It was an eerily similar scenario, but this time the traffic stop was just outside Houston, and with different troopers. Two women, pulled over for allegedly speeding, are subjected to body cavity searches by a female officer summoned to the scene by a male trooper.

Unlike the earlier tape, this one had clear audio. Yells can be heard as the female trooper shoves her gloved finger inside one woman.
In both invasive incidents, the female troopers don't change gloves between probes, according to the horrified victims.
Texas officials say the searches are unconstitutional. So do attorneys for the shaken women, who have filed federal lawsuits.

But lawyers and civil rights advocates tell the Daily News these cavity searches are really standard policy among the Texas Department of Public Safety’s state troopers, despite their illegality — not to mention that they were conducted on the side of the road in full view of passing motorists.



There have also been two recent cavity-search controversies in other states: Last year in Florida a Citrus County woman, who’d recently been charged with driving under the influence, was pulled over by sheriff’s deputies while driving with her children. In a federal lawsuit, the woman claimed she was given a cavity search on the roadside; in Milwaukee, police were disciplined after 2012 reports surfaced that eight cops had conducted genital searches on arrested suspects without the legal authority to do so.


No ticket was issued following the lengthy traffic stop in July 2012, and no drugs were found. Angel Dobbs, 38, told The News that trooper David Farrell pulled her over on a Friday night, while she was driving to Oklahoma with her niece, Ashley, 24.
On the patrol car’s loudspeaker, he ordered her off the highway and onto a side road, she said.


“They didn’t even search my socks or my shoes,” Dobbs said. "I just couldn’t fathom how you could search someone’s butt and their vagina, and not search their socks or shoes.”

...........
According to the women’s federal lawsuit, filed in June, Randle is then penetrated by Bui, who is wearing the same set of gloves from her search of Hamilton.
The video captures the sound of her screaming.“They basically raped them on the side of the road,” said Houston attorney Allie Booker, who represents the women. They were part of a two-car caravan of family and friends that had spent the national holiday at the beach.

Since the federal lawsuit became public, the attorney says her office has received about five phone calls from women saying they, too, had been subjected to cavity searches by state troopers.
Booker has also consulted with another lawyer who represents a woman who filed a similar body cavity search complaint with the DPS involving Trooper Bui.
“A lot of people are scared to come forward,” Booker said. “But people are contacting us. They say ‘hey, this happened to me, too.’’’

[vic]

http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/ohi ... n-1.410248

DAYTON, OHIO: An Ohio township has agreed to pay $100,000 to the family of a 17-year-old girl who was made to strip and then hosed down by a male deputy police chief last summer.

[Singha]

Pretty sickening. Rapists and molesters seem to have found a free hand under cover of the khaki vardi.

If this happened in a small town india, a mob would burn down the station and thrash the cops. In big city, huge protests.

Americans are the true sheeple. The chosen ones to be inside the matrix.

[Altair]

I think the problem is most of the Cops are Vets with experience in Iraq/Afghanistan. They seem to be trained like Military Police where every suspect is a trained Killer. These methods of dehumanising search may be warranted inside barracks or military prisons. How these inhuman practices find place in civilian law enforcement is beyond me.

[ManjaM]

US has successfully managed to polarize MEA and PMO.

How so? Lets give ourselves some credit when its due. INSPITE of the current PM AND being caught off gaurd, India has managed a robust response clearly telling the US what it needs to do to untangle this situation.

I don't see the difference of opinion on the Indian side. If at all it appears to be on the US side with DoD and SD reportedly unhappy with each other over this, Kerry and NYDA and the insufferably uppity spokeswoman contradicting reports that Kerry was clueless about this incident.

[Altair]

US has successfully managed to polarize MEA and PMO.

How so? Lets give ourselves some credit when its due. INSPITE of the current PM AND being caught off gaurd, India has managed a robust response clearly telling the US what it needs to do to untangle this situation.

I don't see the difference of opinion on the Indian side. If at all it appears to be on the US side with DoD and SD reportedly unhappy with each other over this, Kerry and NYDA and the insufferably uppity spokeswoman contradicting reports that Kerry was clueless about this incident.

No Matter what MMS or Salman Kurshid says and what Obama or Kerry says, there WILL always be people in MEA and PMO who will see USA as their final destination and a way to earn more bucks. They are always Pro-US and they curse India and its system while still working for India. Also, There will be those who would work in India either because they are patriotic or because of some domestic compulsions.They will be Pro-India no matter what. All of them work cooperatively to an extent. Now we have people taking sides. One sympathising DK and the other cursing DK that she got what she deserved. If you know the working of a Government office in India you will know what this kind of "groupism" it creates. I hope this will be a temporary phase and we return back to regular programming. But this issue is being dragged through mud very slowly. Groupism is very dangerous for any system to work efficiently.
Our response to US has been tempered. There are many loud voices in MEA to take much stronger measures. There have also been voices to be cautious of US's response. PMO takes Pro-US stand in general. It also created doubts in MEA cadre that PMO will dump/transfer those who raise against US. I think you can get the picture.

[Bade]

“They didn’t even search my socks or my shoes,” Dobbs said. "I just couldn’t fathom how you could search someone’s butt and their vagina, and not search their socks or shoes.”

This speaks for itself, the failed logic for cavity searches and to think the US Supreme court upheld this practice. India should issue regular travel advisories for people heading to the US, highlighting this practice and how it violates universal human rights.

[vasu raya]

^^^ +1

We ask for Headley and Gilani, the SD throws its weight behind TSP and denies us their extradition, so the CIA-ISI nexus is protected, which is key for some of the agents working undercover in the tanzeems so no plot directed aganist US or the west succeeds while ISI gets to direct the tanzeems towards softer targets such as India. Headley's credibility with Lashkar was based on what he could gather from India and the selection of targets, even Israel wasn't spared with the Chabad house selection. Guess this is all an open secret by now.

On 26/11 US gives a vague hint even though it knows a whole lot, and any failure is the fault of Indian intel much the same way it tried to justify that it had informed Indian Embassy about the complaint on DK ahead of time and its India that failed to act in time.

A lesson would be to associate worst case scenarios with any innocuous warnings that US communicates, while building the context around a hint is a tough job, we should always have tabs on other's grudges on us.

The recent decision to route IPI pipeline away from TSP is also where TSP is wanting leverage on us through US SD, the DK episode could be a result of SD failing to extract leverage on us. In a way even it wants to silo the fallout, if any at all.

[Lisa]

FWIW, here's the latest 'clarification'.

Embassy staff salary based on prevailing local wages: U.S.
The United States has said that the salary of its embassy staff in countries around the world is based on prevailing wages in conjunction with the local law.

“Generally, compensation plans for locally employed staff at US Missions abroad are based upon prevailing wage rates and compensation practices for corresponding types of positions in the employment locality,” a State Department Spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The spokesperson was responding to a question on whether the US Embassy complies with local wage laws.

The issue of salaries paid to employees in the US embassy and consulates in India came to the fore after senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was arrested in New York on December 12 on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard.

Subsequently, she was strip searched and held in jail with drug addicts and criminals which triggered a row between the US and India. Ms. Khobragade, 39, was released on a $ 250,000 bond.

Following the arrest of Ms. Khobragade, India has sought details of salaries of the Indians working at the American Embassy in New Delhi and its other diplomatic missions.

According to information available, Indian staff working at US Embassies, including cooks and drivers, are paid between an amount of Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 (USD 200 to 250) which is below the minimum wage of USD 9.47 per hour applicable in New York or in any other US city.

However, people close to the US embassy is of the opinion that despite current negative reporting in India, the embassy is generous in the matters related to compensation to local employees.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/embassy-st ... 525486.ece

Surely there is a flaw in this argument. US diplomatic property is part of US where US law rules. Then why does 'local' pay apply?

[Bade]

It is all hypocrisy for sure, when people around you are leading a US level quality of life with imported stuff and private screenings, the local staff has to make do with standard of living at a level outside of the embassy walls even while working inside the island and adhering to US standards and expectations. Bloody slave owners.

It is not about legality of it all, it is more about lack of morality of it on part of the stationed US employees, who are exploiting the low wages outside to extract the maximum possible benefits. Either they can bring in their maids and other staff from the US and pay them US wages or hire locally at US wages. I am sure it is quite affordable for a superpower with global reach. How can they deny such opportunities for their own citizens to earn a nice pay packet (while stationed abroad) by outsourcing all those daily wage embassy jobs to India.

[svinayak]

Indo-US relations: A big chill descends

A recent survey showed that more members of the Council on Foreign Relations, a prestigious think tank, named India (37 percent) as an important US ally of the future than any other country.

Also worth noting is that far fewer see India as a key partner than did four years ago when 55 percent named it as the partner of choice.

India sees the US as a guarantor of peace against an unpredictable China and a stabilising force in Afghanistan. Bluntly put, the US is the preferred hegemon. The links between the three-million-strong Indian American community and the mother country add another layer of texture to the relationship.

A new Indian government can start by first addressing the hostility of the American business community triggered by India’s policies. Renewing the confidence of the Wall Street and the Main Street about India’s economic prospects is key to regaining lost ground.

The US too must attend to India’s concerns, including the targeting of Indian IT companies by the US Congress in various immigration reform bills under consideration. It must also conclude a "totalization agreement" with India and stop pocketing $1bn annually in social security taxes from temporary Indian workers – a blatant American power play if there was any. The agreement would end double taxation on income of Indian professionals who pay US social security taxes but return to India without enjoying any benefits in return.

[Raja Bose]

“They didn’t even search my socks or my shoes,” Dobbs said. "I just couldn’t fathom how you could search someone’s butt and their vagina, and not search their socks or shoes.”

This speaks for itself, the failed logic for cavity searches and to think the US Supreme court upheld this practice. India should issue regular travel advisories for people heading to the US, highlighting this practice and how it violates universal human rights.

+400

For a nation who loves some much symbolic stuff, how come our SDRE babus don't publicly issue such advisories to rub it in...even China does it and of course Khan is the master of it all. We need some statements from "anonymous sources in MEA who don't want to be identified" about how US is the rape capital of the world where rape is legally sanctioned.

[devesh]

^^^
in the desi elite minds, the Anglos cannot be tarnished like that. they take it as a reflection on themselves, in a twisted way. they feel a serious threat to their own standing if the "Anglo" image is brought down.

[Altair]

India should use this bottom to make Budha Smile again particularly the H-bums. What else can happen?

[johneeG]

“They didn’t even search my socks or my shoes,” Dobbs said. "I just couldn’t fathom how you could search someone’s butt and their vagina, and not search their socks or shoes.”

This speaks for itself, the failed logic for cavity searches and to think the US Supreme court upheld this practice. India should issue regular travel advisories for people heading to the US, highlighting this practice and how it violates universal human rights.

+400

For a nation who loves some much symbolic stuff, how come our SDRE babus don't publicly issue such advisories to rub it in...even China does it and of course Khan is the master of it all. We need some statements from "anonymous sources in MEA who don't want to be identified" about how US is the rape capital of the world where rape is legally sanctioned.

I am actually amazed that the regular amirkhans are accepting this kind of legal system. Just goes to show that they are subjected to massive sarkaari propagandu. I guess the word 'rape' has not been used in connection with 'cavity search' so far in amirkhan. Once that word is used, it will open the eyes of the aam amirkhan.

I mean this is such an obnoxious situation where the law not only allows the rape by cops, it actually forces the cops to do that in certain situations. And it gives needless ideas to people.

Even if someone 'hides' something in his cavity, can't he/she be caught when he/she takes it out. Why do you have to go and grope him/her merely on the basis of suspicion? How many people actually 'hide' something in their cavity? This is really really obnoxious and base. No civilized society allows this kind of law. This violates the basic human rights of the people. The dignity of the people is violated apart from legalized sexual assault.

This is actually a symptom of much bigger problem. In amirkhan, the whole prison system seems to be a neo-slavery system. And if the prisons want to earn profits, they will want to fill the prisons with people(regardless of whether they committed a crime or not). Very harsh punishments for minor crimes are used to fill the prisons so that the prison system can recruit neo-slaves to do the job. And its no secret that the percentage of blacks who become part of this prison system is exceptionally high. Then, there are rapes within jails with wink and nod from authorities. This seems to happen in many countries. All in all, a very wicked state of affairs.

If cops can go to such lengths with their own countrymen, imagine what lengths army can go with foreigners? No wonder that incidents like Abu Garaib happen. It seems to be routine rather than exception.

[Bade]

When Abu Garaib happened it was called as one-off and everyone bought it except the middle eastern countries. We could of course care less about a region which has been the cradle of terrorism in one form or another. Such practices do not happen in isolation, there is always an underlying culture. One does not have to look very far, just the inane stuff coming out of Hollywood scripts tells you the psyche of the nation.

[vishvak]

..
It is not about legality of it all, it is more about lack of morality of it on part of the stationed US employees, who are exploiting the low wages outside to extract the maximum possible benefits. Either they can bring in their maids and other staff from the US and pay them US wages or hire locally at US wages. I am sure it is quite affordable for a superpower with global reach. How can they deny such opportunities for their own citizens to earn a nice pay packet (while stationed abroad) by outsourcing all those daily wage embassy jobs to India.

Imagine if an Indian diplomat were to be found paying pittance. All hell would break loose and sky would fall. There would be repeated portrayal of how barbaric yindoos are along with value judgements about yindoo society.

But this doesn't qualify for selective heart bleeding since people are from utopian states of emirkhan. The emirkhans' paki-pasand sheiks and sheikhettes are doing their Iran routines after all where unfortunately (relatively, not absolutely ) the Indian lady diplomat was posted earlier. Then there is 'diplomatic security' service who ended up arresting Indian lady diplomat new York style!

The NGOs/leftists/humanitarian space is totally below radar now in utopian states of emirkhan and even the ones in India.

[Sagar G]

India should use this bottom to make Budha Smile again particularly the H-bums. What else can happen?

Unnecessary, the first thing that the next government has to fix is the economy, then decrease India's dependance on American technology in each and every sphere, especially defence. Then we can carry out nooke bum test without having many any loose ends left in the western hands to retaliate and cause any nuisance.

[arshyam]

Imagine if an Indian diplomat were to be found paying pittance. All hell would break loose and sky would fall. There would be repeated portrayal of how barbaric yindoos are along with value judgements about yindoo society.

Sir, that's what DK has been accused of, and the rest of what you said is happening. On Dec 31, the front page on WSJ had something about rape in rural India. Usually never see anything about India on the front page of US newspapers, unless it is negatively tinted. (In contrast, there was no mention of DK's arrest anywhere in this esteemed journal, till we retaliated in Delhi.)

[Bade]

Since all Indian media (at least English language ones) carry a lot of US news as their headlines, they should be reporting every indecent search and arrest procedures that happen regularly in the US to their citizens. Compile and write articles on incarceration rates and other petty crime rates. It is quite easy to do, even the local editions of US papers carry crime stats regularly by county/city district. Our media folks need to step up to such columns with pictures and numbers to make others uneasy.

[svinayak]

Since all Indian media (at least English language ones) carry a lot of US news as their headlines, they should be reporting every indecent search and arrest procedures that happen regularly in the US to their citizens. Compile and write articles on incarceration rates and other petty crime rates. It is quite easy to do, even the local editions of US papers carry crime stats regularly by county/city district. Our media folks need to step up to such columns with pictures and numbers to make others uneasy.

India media carry US news since Indian media is controlled by US entities

[putnanja]

Former US official criticises handling of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade's case

The repeated assertion by the US that the arrest of an Indian diplomat on charges of visa fraud is an "isolated" incident and would not have an impact on its bilateral ties with India is "a case of wishful thinking", a former top Obama administration official has said.

"The talking point from the State Department podium has been that this case should be isolated from the broader India US relationship. I think that that is a case of wishful thinking," former State Department spokesman P J Crowley said, noting that there was misjudgment on the part of both sides.
...
...
"From the US stand point what they were trying to achieve? It turns out to be a flawed assumption that bringing an Indian diplomat into a New York court was not going to have an impact back home," he said, observing that the Indian reaction over the issue was quite predictable."It would certainly appear that both the US and India had opportunities to minimise the impact that would have on public opinion on both countries and seemingly failed to take advantage of those opportunities," said Crowley, who is now teaching at George Washington University and affiliated with its Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication.

"I do not think it would have a lasting impact on the relationship, but it is going to be an obstacle for a period of time," he added.
...

"There is a lot of suggestion of trying to resolve this without going back into court. What is curious about that is that, if that's an idea of one possibility now, after the act, it was undoubtedly the best possibility before the act, which one of the sides failed to take advantage of," he said.

The incident, he noted, would have an impact on the bilateral ties for a fair amount of time. This would appear to be a case that both sides "misjudged" in how it would trigger public and political responses on both sides.

"Unfortunately, to me it was a crisis that was avoidable, before the act but now it would be difficult to resolve anytime soon," he said.
...

[Bade]

The problem from the US legal pov is not just dropping the case, but what about the T visa issued then. I think the US has tied their undies in a knot on this one. Will the current administration have it in them to swallow a little pride and do the right thing.