India-US Strategic News and Discussion

paramu · Post by **paramu** » 18 Dec 2013 05:40

Diplomat’s Fraud Arrest in U.S. Draws India Government

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 18 Dec 2013 05:40

Also! Still a crime committed on the soil of USA is a crime which sooner or later is going to come back to haunt so these IFS officers need to understand to not commit any crimes.

BTW.. Mr. Bharara has also prosecuted scores of the nPaki wife beaters and drug dealer diplomats.

I think, instead of saying "not commit any crimes", I think it is appropriate to say that "follow policies, procedures, laws of the land" where diplomats are posted. I wonder how much GoI invests in training diplomats to ensure there staff is not only physically protected but also understands law of the land. That way you give less opportunities to creeps like Bharara....however, I agree with you that this must have been done with nod of the state dept.

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 18 Dec 2013 05:41

Rajiv Malhotra on the House Negros/Sepoys

Rajiv Malhotra ‏@RajivMessage 9h
Preet Bharara is building his career in the US establishment by performing sepoy services to prove his usefulness.

Rajiv Malhotra ‏@RajivMessage 9h
India should behave more like China in dealing with USA, less like a banana republic with inferiority complex and sepoys eager to please

Rajiv Malhotra ‏@RajivMessage 2h
Almost every case of wage disputes in New York is handled as civil not criminal. Did sepoy Preet Barara get hyper dose of something?

Rajiv Malhotra ‏@RajivMessage 2h
Soon Indian diplomat issue will get resolved. But HOW India behaves will shape US-India relations. Important to be STRONG & not a doormat!

Yayavar · Post by **Yayavar** » 18 Dec 2013 05:44

how is it different from all those workers employed from Mexico - illegally or what the Infosys types did (do?)? Are the employers arrested the same way? Even so no one seems to be contending that policies were not followed but that the reaction was not proportional. The GoI/IFS contention seems to be that it could have been handled differently rather than a public spectacle. Plus cultural - In India for all its ills I doubt a white-caller arrest of this kind which is bailable entails strip searching - but then my knowledge is only from papers.

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2013 05:45

there are a lot of Indian policemen and women waiting with gloved fingers to strip search US diplomats. Home ministry must open up further opportunities for this frustrated lot. Atleast let them have a go for a few months. It will be fun, no doubt. Also the Indics must throw their hat into the ring where in the world to oppose the forces of evil which are spearheaded by US and aided by Pakistan. Saudi, Jordan, & GCC. No more pussy footing undecidedly on which way to swing.

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2013 05:47

Rony wrote:Rajiv Malhotra on the House Negros/Sepoys

he is just another useful tool like Sangeeta Richard, is what I now feel. No point in going after the dozens of Ahmed Chalabi types who would no doubt exist in every nook and corner of that country. It's a good thing, they are there and not here.

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 18 Dec 2013 05:50

paramu wrote:Diplomat’s Fraud Arrest in U.S. Draws India Government

Ha..read the reference to India in first para.

The arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York last week on fraud charges drew protests from the government of the Asian nation and the main opposition party.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 18 Dec 2013 05:57

If I may ask an innocent question, 'aliens' are routinely abused in NYC with below minimum wages, lack of medical care, threats of deportation, unpaid overtime, sexual exploitation in parlours as well as the domestic setting. How does the DA pick one case out of thousands. I admire Mr Bharara's tenacity, I think he will spend his career fighting domestic abuse after this and that will be good for all.

The ACLU should commend Mr Bharara as it has pushed for what is known to be a problem with the diplomatic corps.

But of course, things are always complicated.http://latinopoliticsblog.com/2011/03/0 ... e-workers/

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 05:57

exactly!! from the Indian subcontinent now it is "Asian Nation" on the par with Singapore, Bangladesh, Lanka, nPakistan, Burma and other Asian non-tigers.

Indian foreign ministry (led by Congress) is responsible for this issue!

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 05:59

by SanjayKumar
If I may ask an innocent question, 'aliens' are routinely abused in the NYC with below minimum wages, lack of medical care, threats of deportation, unpaid overtime, sexual exploitation in parlours as well as the domestic setting.

These are hidden by their owners! people who are making money from them. File a complaint if you know such case and that's it!! If DA knows that he/she in your city is doing such things a hefty fine along with jail is for sure!

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Dec 2013 06:01

SBajwa, Was the maid living in the diplomat's house and if so was room and board considered in the wage issue?
If not why not? And at $4500/month was the maid paying US taxes?

There seem to be wheels with in wheels in this case.

Its a message case.

Sanjay, The big charge is mis-reprsentation on the visa application. And its being treated as felony not a civil matter and hence all the US marshals etc.

-----
Looks like GOI cancelled the liquor import licenses/permits for US embassy...

Must full of bewadas to hurt.
OTH could reduce the dilli billis who hang aound and do massa work for daru!

Even better option is to publish the amounts imported by the folks under those permits and let the Tea party take care of the mess.

ldev · Post by **ldev** » 18 Dec 2013 06:11

venug wrote:Idev ji your answer here:The mystery of why Devyani Khobragade should have paid $54,000 a year to Sangeeta Richards

According to the allegations against her, Khobragade and her maid had agreed that Khobragade would pay 30,000 rupees per month, which at the time was equivalent to $573.07. At 40 hours per week, with approximately 4.3 weeks in a month, $573.07 equates to a rate of $3.31 per hour. However, the complaint says, Khobragade instructed her maid to say that she would be paid $9.75 per hour, and not to say anything about being paid 30,000 rupees per month. Khobragade also instructed the maid to say that she would work 40 hours per week, with duty hours being 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Khobragade, it’s alleged, told the maid that the amount of $4,500 per month was a US prerequisite to get a visa.

Now, as important as it is to ask who decided to process the maid’s visa in India in the first place, given Khobragade’s salary, it is also important to ask as to where did this number of $4,500 come from?

Let’s do a quick math (with calculators): $9.75 x 40 (hours of work per week) is equal to $390. In a month with 4 weeks, Khobragade’s maid, Sangeeta Richard, would make $1560. In the five months of the year with five weeks, she would make $1950. A full time year (at 40 hours a week) is equal to 2080 hours, which means the annual salary for her would be $20,280, almost one third of what the US government wanted Khobragade to pay her maid – $54,000 annually.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a maid and housekeeper in the US earned an average median salary of $19,390 in 2011, or approximately $9.32 per hour. That year, there were 111, 600 individuals working such jobs in the country. In comparison, a restaurant cook’s median salary is $22,080; a security guard makes $23, 900; a pre-school teacher made $26, 620; a sports coach $28, 470; Bookkeeping, Accounting, & Audit Clerks made $34,740, while a bus driver made 35,720, and a marriage and family therapist’s media salary was $46,240, just a bit more than what Khobragade’s maid was supposed to be paid.

But then Sangeeta Richards was employed as a maid and housekeeper, not as a marriage and family therapist. Her salary should be closer to $20,000.

Can somebody please solve the mystery of why Sangeeta Richards, the maid of Devyani Khobragade, was to be paid $54,000 a year, and not $20,280?

A quick disclaimer that without knowing the specifics of the case, the following is speculation. Under US law any hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week need to be paid at a premium rate of at least 1.5x the regular rate. If a claim is being made for a payment of $54000, then there is an excess amount of of approximately $33000 being claimed as overtime (I am just rounding of figures here), which at a 50% premium of the agreed upon rate of $9.75 per hour is say $15 per hour, which would be another 2100 hours for the year which would work out to about a 83 hour work week including overtime. Its possible that the domestic help has made a claim to the NY prosecutor's office that she worked 12 hours a day 7 days a week. However the issue on which Khobragade has got into trouble is not overtime, the issue is that there is a difference in the declaration made in the visa application by Khobragade of a rate of $9.75 per hour to be paid and the separate agreement of Rs 30,000 per month which falls below the minimum wage legislation.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 18 Dec 2013 06:13

I have no problem at all with charging anyone who abuses a maid. The question is of diplomatic immunity and universal application of the letter of the law.

File a complaint if you know such case and that's it!! If DA knows that he/she in your city is doing such things a hefty fine along with jail is for sure

Half the Panjabis would be in jail for domestic abuse and the rest for immigration fraud. But I will keep it in mind.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 06:14

by Ramana
Even better option is to publish the amounts imported by the folks under those permits and let the Tea party take care of the mess.

Exactly!! Democrats ARE BAD for India! (Gay diplomats, Booze, friends with terrorists , etc) Indian Americans should always (100% of the time) vote for Republicans(forget One Jew secretary and one impeached president who are anomaly)!!

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 18 Dec 2013 06:14

Timeline of the events that led to an Indian diplomat's arrest in New York last week

November 2012: Richard arrived in the US and started to work for Dr Khobragade on November 23, 2012.

March 2013: Problems started with Richard, according to Dr Khobragade's lawsuit against her in the Delhi high court. It said that Richard wanted to work outside on her off days, but she was told that it was illegal according to her visa status, and also because she had an official passport.

June 23: Richard left DR Khobragade's home to buy groceries, and did not return. Dr Khobragade informed the matter to the consulate general, who informed the concerned authorities.

July 8: Richard visited an immigration attorney's firm in Manhattan, New York. A person present there told Rediff.com then that four individuals from the consulate soon arrived at the attorney's office.

There were discussions, and reports indicated Richard demanded a sum as her wages, and an ordinary Indian passport.

Meanwhile, her husband and child in India were taken into custody, according to the witness. A scared Richard spoke with them, and refused to leave the attorney's office premises.

The consulate officials remained outside. Later in the evening, the police were called and they took Richard away.

The Indian government revoked Richard's official passport the same day, which made her status illegal in the US.

The Indian embassy in Washington, DC requested the US State Department to locate Richard and return her to India.

September: The Delhi high court issued an order to restrain Richard from instituting any action or proceedings against Dr Khobragade outside India on the terms or conditions of her employment, according to a statement issued by the Indian embassy.

In his order on September 20, Justice Jayant Nath noted that any grievance about the terms of employment, salary or ill-treatment could only be adjudicated by an Indian court, since Richard and Dr Khobragade worked for the Government of India.

The high court also issued notice to Richard's husband Philip in Delhi. The case is scheduled for hearing in February.

Meanwhile, an arrest warrant was issued against Richard by the metropolitan magistrate of the south district court in New Delhi under Sections 387, 420 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, according to the Indian embassy.

These are related to extortion, cheating and conspiracy.

If Richard enters India, she will be arrested.

Richard chose to remain in the US rather than return to India, where she would be arrested on arrival, and the US officials proceeded against Dr Khobragade.

Highly placed sources said the fact that Richard left her employment within six months of her arrival in the US seems suspicious.

The Indian embassy said it had urged Washington to resolve the matter with due sensitivity, taking into account the existing court case in India that had already been brought to America's attention by the Government of India, and the diplomatic status of the officer concerned.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 06:15

by Sanjaykumar
Half the Panjabis would be in jail for domestic abuse and the rest for immigration fraud. But I will keep it in mind.

go for it! I always do!! Breaking the law (of any land where you work) is UDHARMIC! and should be reported to the authorities always!

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 18 Dec 2013 06:17

Devyani's father is saying the maid and her parents were taken away from India to US on a special visa just before Devyani's arrest. This in spite of a FIR against the maid in India.
Link

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 18 Dec 2013 06:27

How did they manage to leave India ? What kind of special visa ? More reasons to understand the GoI response this time around.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Dec 2013 06:28

SBajwa wrote:
O.k here is a contrarian view: So an Indian American prosecutor on the complaint of an Indian maid has the Indian consular staff arrested because she violated the law of which there is documentary proof, and it is all Uncle Sam's fault? Hypocrisy anyone?
Exactly!! Hypocrisy!! Indian diplomats have been so accustomed to abusing the Law in their own country along with other countries (like nPakistan) that they expect to do the same all over the world. It does not work that way!

And you think the US and other nations diplomats follow the law exactly in whichever country they are? C'mon Bajwa ji, you know this is not correct.
Bottomline, US acted very arrogantly and they deserve to be shown that times have changed and India will not put up with such imperial behaviour. MMS and co, have let Indian national pride down thoroughly as KPN says and hence this sort of attitude.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Dec 2013 06:37

Op-ed in Pioneer.

Looks like a lot is being thrown away by US by a poking a diplomat's eye.

Can Maid Fracture Plateau with US?

Its most likely a mirage or no plateau but crater sold to/by MMSji.

Can Maid Fracture Plateau with US?
Wednesday, 18 December 2013 | Rohit Bansal | in Business

On Monday morning, 70 of us tackled dense fog to be at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) for the India launch of “Beyond the Plateau in US-India Relations,” a joint study** with The Heritage Foundation.

Trading tricks to skirt “post-2010 logjams,” including the one to reach ORF that day, many discussants dwelled on the intriguing term, “plateau.” The optimists had the final word thanks to Manish Tewari, his presidential argument being that a plateau isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “It (a plateau) gives us occasion to think and to recalibrate,” the Government’s principal spokesperson counselled.

But in less than 36 hours, there’s a crater right at the heart of the plateau. Whither our relationship with our fifth largest source of FDI, trade in goods accounting for $58 billion (2011), two-way investment to the tune of $30 billion (2010), and the stakes of 2.9 million people of Indian origin living there! All because of a maid and her calculative employer, a 1999-batch IFS officer, flouting her own undertaking on complying with US minimum wages – and the fact that over-zealous enforcement agencies in New York wounded our national pride!

So, ID cards of US diplomats have been recalled - a precursor to withdrawal of diplomatic and consular immunity; payment details of Indian teachers at American schools here sought for a likely tax assault; protection barricades around the US embassy removed; and licenses Team Nancy Powell enjoys to import, say, turkeys and wine for Christmas, rolled back!

Poor yanks! As Shiv Aroor, a TV anchor said on his twitter, ‘what’ll starve them truly is if Delhi’s INA Market shuts down too!’ Banter apart, a US Congressional group was denied pre-accorded handshakes with Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi, the Lok Sabha speaker, the Home Minister, and the NSA. I am unsure if ambassador-designate S Jai Shankar, here in Delhi just ahead of flying off to Washington this weekend, will now go so soon. Even if the tough-talking envoy does, will Barak Obama grant him accreditation in a hurry?

For those smarting under the humiliation, our diplomat’s unnecessary handcuffing, her strip search etc, the cause comes down to our track record on human labour:

1)It’s because we brush under the carpet modern laws on domestic workers. We lack basic data on their numbers what to speak of classifying them appropriately or enforcing their rights on healthcare, hours of work and pensions.

The US claims to do better. Which is why New-York-based Devyani Khobragade, the IFS officer causing the row, signed a false declaration on the sum she’ll pay her maid. (In IFS legalese, a maid is called, “India-based Domestic Help” – IBDH, and the justification is that she/he can toss up “Indian-home-cooked food” to visiting locals. For all practical purposes, more often than not, the said IBDH is a 24x7 “slave.”)

2) Our foreign office entitles its officers of the rank of Third Secretary up to Ambassador a complement of IBDH and reimburses their wage at par with industrial workers here. The problem arises in the “First World,” say, the US, where the law demands a minimum wage of $9 per hour, something Khobragade (and, perhaps, all others diplomats seconded to the US) signed up to just so that the maid got a visa. In a 24x7 format, this translates into $220 a day, or a whopping $6,500 a month! Now, US law doesn’t factor inhouse servants just as IFS folks don’t just go to the US. In, say, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, the money is enough to add more servants! Some IBDH, all white-passport holders, have been found to find a love life or compromised by intelligence agencies. Others have jumped their visa and disappeared. Some have blackmailed their way back to India.

So, when tempers have cooled down, and the plateau regained, we should rethink IBDH, enforce strict set of “Devyani Guidelines,” and derisk an entire gamut of ties – sadly, the US one being the only legacy Manmohan Singh might have had!

(The columnist is CEO & Co-Founder, India Strategy Group, Hammurabi & Solomon Consulting. Tweets @therohitbansal)

**Authors: Sunjoy Joshi, C Raja Mohan, Vikram Sood and Rajeswari Rajagopalan from ORF and James Jay Carafano, Walter Lohman, Lisa Curtis and Derek Scissors from the Washington-based think tank

This poor guy is on a Don Quixote path to save MMS legacy and finds more fault with IFS people than the US actions against a diplomat.

ldev · Post by **ldev** » 18 Dec 2013 06:41

Rony wrote:Timeline of the events that led to an Indian diplomat's arrest in New York last week

November 2012: Richard arrived in the US and started to work for Dr Khobragade on November 23, 2012.

...............

June 23: Richard left DR Khobragade's home to buy groceries, and did not return. Dr Khobragade informed the matter to the consulate general, who informed the concerned authorities.

July 8: Richard visited an immigration attorney's firm in Manhattan, New York. A person present there told Rediff.com then that four individuals from the consulate soon arrived at the attorney's office.

There were discussions, and reports indicated Richard demanded a sum as her wages, and an ordinary Indian passport.

Meanwhile, her husband and child in India were taken into custody, according to the witness. A scared Richard spoke with them, and refused to leave the attorney's office premises.

The consulate officials remained outside. Later in the evening, the police were called and they took Richard away.

Highly placed sources said the fact that Richard left her employment within six months of her arrival in the US seems suspicious.

The Indian embassy said it had urged Washington to resolve the matter with due sensitivity, taking into account the existing court case in India that had already been brought to America's attention by the Government of India, and the diplomatic status of the officer concerned.

Why was her husband and child in India who had nothing to do with what was happening in the US arrested? That is dadagiri on the part of Khobragade and her cohorts within the IFS and Indian police.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Dec 2013 06:42

Also does India have US based lawyers on their payroll or contract? If so why does India have repeated cases of diplomats being arrested in NYC?

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Dec 2013 07:02

>>
Meanwhile, her husband and child in India were taken into custody, according to the witness.

which witness? whats the credibility factor here?
if the husband was part of the tough "negotiations", egging her on, it makes sense to have arrested him. doubt that the kid would be arrested.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 18 Dec 2013 07:02

The court said that the ibdh was an employee of the govt of india. But in the visa application, devyani promised to pay her a salary. How do these two 'facts' coexist? If she was a goi employee how is devyani culpable?

Nandu · Post by **Nandu** » 18 Dec 2013 07:04

Karan M wrote: if the husband was part of the tough "negotiations", egging her on, it makes sense to have arrested him.

It makes no such sense. Negotiating is not a crime.

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 18 Dec 2013 07:08

The maid had a diplomatic passport which she had not surrendered (?) when she went absconding. Isn't that a crime in itself. If her family was arrested in India as claimed, how did they make their exit out of the country. Lots of statements being made with absolutely no proof whatsoever. Was the maid's family also with her in the US ?

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 18 Dec 2013 07:10

There are certain things which led to this incident.
1. Democratic party is anti Indian. Obama in particular was attacking India that we stole their jobs.
2. John Kerry is anti Indian. We know it.
3. Entire U.S. actions in Afghan war are anti Indian denying any role to us in our back yard.
4. Newyark city lost tax case on us just now.
5. These kind of incidents were happening before yet we chose to ignore.

MMS happy to eat dinner with Obama like a dog taking biscuits from master. Our foreign policy is serving US interests more than ours since MMS became P.M. We eat biryani with people cut our soldiers heads.

Then what else you get with these kinds of conduct.

svenkat · Post by **svenkat** » 18 Dec 2013 07:11

This is a storm in a tea cup.We can humiliate US gay diplomats,but what will be the consequences?

The long term threat is christism(Existence be upon yeshu).We can swallow the insult and UPROOT christism from India(except mizoram,nagaland,meghaya).That will send the message to pretavaadin(corpse stuck on a stick-copyright rajeev srinivasan) devils.It has to be a long term response.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 07:30

by Karan M

MMS and co, have let Indian national pride down thoroughly as KPN says and hence this sort of attitude.

MMS is the big time culprit along with Sonia!! I 100% agreed! these idiots could not grew the relations among the oldest and largest democracy!! what were they doing? They slept through their 10 years of rule!!

chanakyaa · Post by **chanakyaa** » 18 Dec 2013 07:33

Narayana Rao wrote:There are certain things which led to this incident.
1. Democratic party is anti Indian. Obama in particular was attacking India that we stole their jobs.
2. John Kerry is anti Indian. We know it.
3. Entire U.S. actions in Afghan war are anti Indian denying any role to us in our back yard.
4. Newyark city lost tax case on us just now.
5. These kind of incidents were happening before yet we chose to ignore.

MMS happy to eat dinner with Obama like a dog taking biscuits from master. Our foreign policy is serving US interests more than ours since MMS became P.M. We eat biryani with people cut our soldiers heads.

Then what else you get with these kinds of conduct.

We all have right to our opinions, but some disagreements on above points. Dem party is anti-India, and republicans are pro Indian? Saar, wrong. Neither party likes or dislikes India. For them India is means to their ends, a land mass of 1 billion people completely unaware of there potential. As far as job being taken, it is a controversial subject but I think you are reading too much into Obama's 25 paisa speeches. Let's not go to Afghan war....total OT for this thread.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 07:34

by Karan M
And you think the US and other nations diplomats follow the law exactly in whichever country they are? C'mon Bajwa ji, you know this is not correct.

That's because the law agencies in the respective countries look the other way when they counter the US diplomat!! arrest the law breaker and prosecute him/her! if not then the problem is with these diplomats and their jobs around the world!! why are these people thinking of themselves above the law? I would have arrested the Gay Diplomat couple in India (per Indian law 377) after 12/17/2013 as they are criminals as per Indian law!

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 18 Dec 2013 07:37

Shashi Tharoor on NDTV on wage issue for Diplomatic Consular live-in help.
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/left-r ... topstories

member_22872 · Post by **member_22872** » 18 Dec 2013 07:39

We can humiliate US gay diplomats,but what will be the consequences?

Could be bad idea. Bad PR for India. Their media will go ape$hit on India, show how primitive India is, our slum dogs, so on and so forth. We become defensive, instead go offensive, humiliate them otherwise.

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 07:39

The real problem is economic disparity and the "help" that these "diplomats" bring with them.

easiest solution is for Indian government is to hire "Maids" by calling the affordable maids (I have nothing to do with this business)., why do you need people from India to come work in U.S.A? These people who come from india don't want to go back and thus there is problem.

Indian government is the problem they need to figure out this issue of people wanting their servants with them in U.S.A!!

BTW.. I got to go out and clean my 150*40 '. drive way full of 6" snow!! and no help!! it is a back breaking work but a very good workout for myself (around 30 minutes)!!

Rony · Post by **Rony** » 18 Dec 2013 07:41

Devyani case: Strip-search finds India's spine

NEW DELHI: L'affaire Devyani Khobragade has escalated into a full-blown diplomatic spat between India and the US. Stung by the humiliating treatment meted out to India's deputy consul general in New York, New Delhi on Tuesday upped the ante by taking a series of steps including withdrawal of certain privileges from American diplomats, removing barricades around the US embassy and seeking information on wages paid to Indians employed by the US embassy and the American School.

As political parties, cutting across party lines, condemned the US action, New Delhi unveiled a series of retaliatory actions which showed a rare hardened attitude towards the US. This was in sharp contrast to its weak-kneed response to previous slights by the US, the latest being the response to phone tapping by the Americans of the Indian mission in Washington.

On Tuesday, India demanded an unconditional apology for the humiliation of its diplomat, who was strip-searched, handcuffed, had her DNA swab taken and was bunged in a lock-up with drug addicts and common criminals. Foreign minister Salman Khurshid described the US action as completely unacceptable. "We have put in motion what we believe would be an effective way of addressing the issue but also (put) in motion such steps that need to be taken to protect her dignity," he told reporters here.

The identity cards of all US officials serving in the Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad consulates have been withdrawn, which means they will become ordinary foreign nationals rather than those with diplomatic status. Indian officials in consulates in the US are not given such ID cards, which can be used to claim immunity from the police. Special airport passes for American diplomats have also been withdrawn. Aviation authorities have been told to ensure that US embassy vehicles do not get any priority treatment at reserved parking lots at airports across the country.

The most demonstrative action was removal of barricades from the road that runs behind the US embassy here. Bulldozers arrived on Tuesday afternoon to push away concrete barricades from the road which serves as the entry for visa seekers and had been closed to all traffic. The reason cited for this was denial of designated parking space for the Indian embassy in Washington in January this year.

'We're going to insist on strict reciprocity'

The Indian government has asked for details of family members of US officials in India, their bank accounts and whether they are employed in any capacity. Indian officials' spouses or family members in Washington have to seek special permission from the state department if they want to work outside. The government has also asked for salary and bank account details of all Indians working for the US embassy and its consulates across India, including teachers and staff employed in the American Embassy School. They want to demonstrate that unequal pay is a part of the US' own practices.

"We are going to insist on strict reciprocity," said foreign ministry officials. India has also withdrawn tax exemption facility for US diplomats to import and export items. This facility has been frequently misused by many members of the diplomatic corps of all countries. However, India has argued that since Indians don't get the same facilities in the US, there was no reason for US diplomats to enjoy the same facility in India.

Khobragade's humiliation has angered the IFS community which has asked for protection of their dignity from overzealous foreign governments. This possibly prodded the government and Salman Khurshid, who came under some criticism from other parts of the government for meeting a visiting US congressional delegation on Monday, to take up a much more aggressive stance against the US on Tuesday.

The other meetings sought by the US team were cancelled as Rahul Gandhi, Sushilkumar Shinde and Narendra Modi refused to meet it. The delegation included Congressmen George Holding (Republican, North Carolina), Pete Olson (Republican, Texas) David Schweikert (Republican, Arizona), Robert Woodall (Republican, Georgia), and Madeleine Bordallo (Democrat, Guam).

SBajwa · Post by **SBajwa** » 18 Dec 2013 07:42

by Venug
Quote:

We can humiliate US gay diplomats,but what will be the consequences?

Could be bad idea. Bad PR for India. Their media will go ape$hit on India, show how primitive India is, our slum dogs, so on and so forth. We become defensive, instead go offensive, humiliate them otherwise.

Actually it is a good idea! Arrest them and open up the Gay debate world wide! so that around the world people participate and tell them how idiotic it is for not only humans but plants, animals, water and other living things!!!!! Gays need to be put back into their hole! they are not bigger then others!

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 18 Dec 2013 07:45

SBajwa wrote:The real problem is economic disparity and the "help" that these "diplomats" bring with them.

easiest solution is for Indian government is to hire "Maids" by calling the affordable maids (I have nothing to do with this business)., why do you need people from India to come work in U.S.A? These people who come from india don't want to go back and thus there is problem.

Indian government is the problem they need to figure out this issue of people wanting their servants with them in U.S.A!!

I am guessing this is something the MEA is thinking about. Better to outsource it to professional cleaning staff in that country. If they want Indian food for parties etc, just cater it from some local Indian restaurant. These days, you can find Indian restaurants in majority of the cities. Getting domestic help from India should be the last resort. Of course, chances of espionage is more when you outsource tasks, but how do other countries resolve it?

The policy on this needs to be changed, as soon as the current crisis is resolved.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Dec 2013 07:51

Nandu wrote:
Karan M wrote: if the husband was part of the tough "negotiations", egging her on, it makes sense to have arrested him.
It makes no such sense. Negotiating is not a crime.

If he was the one egging her on to do criminal acts, then the police is within their rights to arrest him on the basis of a complaint.

habal · Post by **habal** » 18 Dec 2013 07:52

Why not have a pool of designated 4-5 butlers at service of NYC consulate who can be rotated as per convenience amongst staff, instead of having individual nannies. It's not as if they shall all be hosting parties all together at the same time. Also a common daytime creche for all children.

Diplomats with small children and ladies should be strictly discouraged from taking up non-strategic US posting. Basically we are dealing with a crooked-minded and double dealing country.

Karan M · Post by **Karan M** » 18 Dec 2013 07:54

SBajwa wrote:
by Karan M
And you think the US and other nations diplomats follow the law exactly in whichever country they are? C'mon Bajwa ji, you know this is not correct.
That's because the law agencies in the respective countries look the other way when they counter the US diplomat!! arrest the law breaker and prosecute him/her! if not then the problem is with these diplomats and their jobs around the world!! why are these people thinking of themselves above the law? I would have arrested the Gay Diplomat couple in India (per Indian law 377) after 12/17/2013 as they are criminals as per Indian law!

Thats the thing. GOI don't think the way you do and extend one way favors and help. As a result several other nations are used to having its way all the time. Which doesn't make what they do correct as well. Its a sad state of our own weakness and others taking advantage of it.