The thought occurred to me after seeing this article (note the second picture).Mort Walker wrote:DK's husband being a US national and her children were probably born in the US. This fact is a BIG deal.
rohitvats wrote:G. Parathasarthy categorically said on a Times Now program on the issue that Sangeeta Richards is in touch with very powerful Church groups in USA; groups which have a very strong influence in the SD and they are the ones who moved the wheels.
If the journos haven't paraprahsed anything, such utterances are very problematic. It shouldn't happen to anybody who is there on behalf of India. Doesn't matter high or low, it should happen to none.period.With India locked in a face-off with the United States over the arrest of senior diplomat Devyani Khobragade, Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam on Thursday said such things should not happen to high-level officials.
It was up to the government to decide on what steps should be taken to handle the issue, "but as an individual, it should not happen to our high officials," he told reporters on the sidelines of a convocation function.
Climbing those fund trees are many with all the nepotism and corruption that goes with itJarita wrote:rohitvats wrote:G. Parathasarthy categorically said on a Times Now program on the issue that Sangeeta Richards is in touch with very powerful Church groups in USA; groups which have a very strong influence in the SD and they are the ones who moved the wheels.
That is why minority is a misnomer. Both the christians and muslims are connected to wide global networks with wealth and power. The christian minority in India has more power than any majority can.
Apurva Kashyap · Works at Lha Social Work
Anyone reading this article could say its been written by 'a person close to Devyani'! I'd like to reply to the author's points in exactly the same way, only, I'm going to rely on facts rather than on bias. And you may ask what my source of information is, I had personally been handling the case of Sangeeta Richard when her troubled husband and kids reached out to our NGO in Delhi for legal help.
1. Devyani was not in the capacity to 'promise' Sangeeta a salary. She was, instead, bound to pay her according to the US Labour laws. Devyani's is the third case of slavery and payment of low wages in the Indian Diplomatic history. She should have done a little research and learnt about the price the other diplomats had to pay for their attempt to evade the law and followed the US policy. Apart from that, there is no proof, whatsoever, to back the statement that Devyani gave Sangeeta several hundred dollars per month. That is a baseless statement only a 'close friend' could come up with.
She is reportedly ran away with Work logs and receipt book. And consuls members of family and staff forming household are exempt from local laws in this regard. So any 'agreement' in Delhi would be adjudicated in Delhi and would have no force in US.
2 & 3. Within a month of reaching the States, Sangeeta reported to her husband in India, of harassment at work. She worked from 7am to 11pm, was sometimes woken up in the middle of the night to attend to Devyani's kids.
Her diary entries does not indicate that on the contrary she seemed to be very happy. Unless diary entries are denied and is claimed to be fabricated. Not yet.
4. Sangeeta's passport was confiscated by Devyani right on arrival in the States. After the ill treatment, all Sangeeta wished for was to return to India. She requested Devyani to send her back but the same was met with a stern refusal. When Sangeeta tried contacting the immigration office, Devyani implicated her on a false charge of theft. Her husband and kids received threat calls from Devyani's father, Uttam Khobragade, and were frequented by the police in Delhi for no reason. This was all done in order to send out a message to Sangeeta, that her family was within reach, and one wrong move could cost her her family.
She was having official passport. She ran away from her husband's home right after marriage and only returned after she realised about pregenancy. Immigration office consultation clearly indicated her desire to stay back and moonlighting against visa conditions. It is also funny that Delhi Police helped DK's father. In fact the way family was spirited away and despite calls to Delhi Police they refused to arrest the family puts paid to this misinformation
5. Sangeeta's life was under threat in India, and so was the case with her family. She knew it would be a lost battle if she went back to India. There is no doubt that Sangeeta didn't want to return to India after everything had gone so wrong. But not because she wanted a US citizenship. She just wanted safety for her family and herself at that point of time. She had doubts that she would never get justice if she went back to India.
Naturally after she fled she would have feared that her game was up and put her family to harm. But issue of passports even after knowing all this episode shows that such apprehensions were misplaced and perhaps expressed to justify ex-filtration and evade court proceedings in India
6. There is mention of the case registered against Sangeeta but no word about the Writ petition filed before the Delhi High Court against Devyani, Uttam Khobragade and the Delhi police.
Yes , that is also mentioned and the fact that it was withdrawn by her husband. This is out in public knowledge
In response to the allegations against the US police of mistreating Devyani, handcuffing her in public, there is a statement released by Sangeeta's lawyer, Preet Bharara: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/devya ... ara-460476 When we so conveniently believed everything stated by Devyani, why should we believe the statement released by Preet?
What is the basis for believing Preet Bharara just because he is party to evading justice in India by someone who ran away from marital home right after marriage
Belonging to a marginalised community doesn't give anyone the right to exploit another person. Nor does it give him the immunity to evade the law in any manner or gain public sympathy for the same reason. Moreover, it creates an obligation on him, to treat other beings in a manner he would like to be treated. If my message creates any impact on the ongoing debate on the issue, there's a high possibility that I will suffer in the hands of those who decide to bend the laws for their personal gain. However, its a chance I'm willing to take in the spirit of justice!
As individual, it does not give any right and no body is claiming any such rights. The treatment and VCCR violation is what concerns us not whether SR remains in US or anywhere in the world. SR was used to frame a Diplomat. Period. That is our concern.
Oh, and did we hear about the Khobragade family being involved in the Adarsh scam! That's a matter we shall leave for another time.
Ahh did SR get greedy after knowing of DK name in Adarsh Scam. This would have been discussed over phone and she could have heard about it. Else how does it matter to SR case.
Jai Hind!
Merely saying jai Hind does not make you Indian. If you came to know about it why did you not file a writ petition on their behalf in Delhi High court and took up their cause. Why did you not bring this matter to appripriate authorities. Did you not trust Indian system to work in favour? Just a Habeas-Corpus would have been sufficient if she was held against her wishes and abused. Delhi HC could have ordered a blue passport and tickets to return to India as well. But instead you choose to work in a clandestine manner timed departure with arrest warrants and arrest of DK. All this illegally when there is case pending. So you are on the wrong side of the Indian Laws my dear as you realised and will get your dues sooner or later by due process.
Absolutely I agree.JwalaMukhi wrote:http://www.rediff.com/news/report/such- ... 131219.htmIf the journos haven't paraprahsed anything, such utterances are very problematic. It shouldn't happen to anybody who is there on behalf of India. Doesn't matter high or low, it should happen to none.period.With India locked in a face-off with the United States over the arrest of senior diplomat Devyani Khobragade, Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam on Thursday said such things should not happen to high-level officials.
It was up to the government to decide on what steps should be taken to handle the issue, "but as an individual, it should not happen to our high officials," he told reporters on the sidelines of a convocation function.
And Many impressionable minds are harvested to do illegal work so to say like this confused girl well on the way to become intellectual hating IndiaKaran M wrote:These NGOs are clearly way out of control and many posh, well educated youth are part of them and thinking they are serving some glorious social cause and national aims. I know a few who are rich and busy into marginalized community blah-di-blah work in DU/JNU circles. High time the entire funding train for all these NGOs was looked into. They are causing problems within Indian communities, are busy engaging in all sorts of weird "research" of dubious value and now its gone to the part they are actually embarrassing the state itself.
Please stop the stereo-typing. There is nothing in the link you posted to to even remotely suggest what you've alleged. Take this as an informal warning.chaanakya wrote: And Many impressionable minds are harvested to do illegal work so to say like this confused girl well on the way to become intellectual hating India http://contactmagazine.net/dharamasla-l ... xperience/
However, the sympathy expressed by some for the diplomat's maid is misplaced; she was paid what she was promised when she was hired, and the sum was vastly more than any domestic help in India can ordinarily hope to get - which is why she took the offer.
Diplomatic practice needs review. Under reciprocity, you allow the other country what it allows you. Alternatively, all diplomatic offices in New Delhi get the same treatment. Both kinds of parity are routinely ignored, often with good reason. Under reciprocity, the US would not be allowed more diplomats in India than the number of Indian diplomats in the US. Ignoring this is common sense, or India's relations with the most important countries would suffer (it is not their fault that India has one of the world's smallest diplomatic corps). Less defensible is India's reluctance to insist on reciprocity when it comes to visas for people who are unlikely to overstay. Some return toughness would make things easier for Indians who have to travel often. Meanwhile, the US request for closing the road behind its embassy had been rejected by every ministry and office, but cleared by the then Lt Governor of Delhi. Israel had requested similarly that the stretch of the arterial road in front of its embassy be closed to traffic, but was (fortunately) turned down. One problem is that too many Indian officials seek personal favours from the West; a former foreign secretary was given a post-retirement job in an American university, but his salary was paid by the state department. Now, why would they do that?
New Delhi: As India fumes over the “evacuation” of the family of Sangeeta Richard, the maid at the centre of the row over the arrest of Devyani Khobragade, it’s being wondered here if Uzra Zeya, the acting assistant secretary in the bureau of democracy, human rights, and labour of the US state department, had any role to play in the family’s flight to the US.
Well, That followed from what she wrote and quoted here and about NGOs and not from the link. Link only indicates she is at impressionable age. But then no streotyping. Agreed.rohitvats wrote:Please stop the stereo-typing. There is nothing in the link you posted to to even remotely suggest what you've alleged. Take this as an informal warning.chaanakya wrote: And Many impressionable minds are harvested to do illegal work so to say like this confused girl well on the way to become intellectual hating India http://contactmagazine.net/dharamasla-l ... xperience/
http://delhidurbar.in/khobragade-arrest ... gone-awry/Rony wrote:Can anyone guess who this former foreign secretary is ? Nirupama Rao can be the one (refer to KC Singh's tweets) but T.N.Ninan is suggesting it is a 'he'.
A war of words also broke out within the IFS fraternity, with former secretary K.C. Singh openly accusing former foreign secretary and outgoing ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, of leaving India-US relations in shambles while herself having found a post-retirement sinecure.
JwalaMukhi wrote:http://delhidurbar.in/khobragade-arrest ... gone-awry/Rony wrote:Can anyone guess who this former foreign secretary is ? Nirupama Rao can be the one (refer to KC Singh's tweets) but T.N.Ninan is suggesting it is a 'he'.A war of words also broke out within the IFS fraternity, with former secretary K.C. Singh openly accusing former foreign secretary and outgoing ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, of leaving India-US relations in shambles while herself having found a post-retirement sinecure.
Sources said the Americans have become used red carpet treatment in the last decade, particularly during the Manmohan Singh years. Malhotra’s refusal to grant visa was an insult for which the Americans wanted to pay back the Indians. This is where they extracted revenge on Khobragade – treated her like a common criminal, arrested her in front of her daughter and strip and cavity searched her.
Sources said the Manmohan Singh government would ordinarily have buckled under, as in the past, when it comes to the US, but the IFS top brass felt humiliated, as this came within weeks of Roosevelt House ensuring Malhotra’s transfer.
Other factors that contributed to this situation included the prominence of the Khobragade family in Maharashtra. Her father was a top bureaucrat and active in the dalit politics of the state. Ignoring the Khobragade case could have backfired on the Congress in election season. The party could have been placed in a difficult position in a state where it still enjoys sizable support among dalits.
BJP national executive member Raj Purohit, however, said on Sunday that the invitation was not cancelled. "Only, there was no follow up from our side, and also on their side."
Modi's rally was attended by representatives from various consulates in Mumbai including Japan, Australia and Canada, Purohit told IANS.
http://brown.edu/initiatives/india/aboutrohitvats wrote:I would take everything KC Singh says with a bucket-load of salt.
Case in point - During the VKS age issue, this fellow said on nation TV (NDTV news) that the series of articles whic appeared in Tribune against VKS, and which carried very intimate details about the issue, were authorized directly by MMS.
BTW - a war of words has broken out on Twitter between KC Singh and Professor Ashutosh Varshney. It seems Nirupama Rao is taking over some fellowship in Brown University which KC Singh is alleging was funded (USD 1 million) by GOI. He says the Ambassador ensured the funding and is now taking the same fellowship - and it should be canceled. Professor challenged him to prove his statement and nothing has come from him over last 24 hours.
So, this fellow seems to be MMS retainer and I would not be surprised if Nirupama Rao actually stood her ground in matters relating to US and did not toe MMS line.
The Brown-India Initiative
The Brown-India Initiative is an interdisciplinary hub for the study of contemporary India. The Initiative’s goals are twofold: to produce first-rate academic research, and to contribute to public discourse on, and in, India through talks, events, and the convergence of figures from across the lines of academia, civil society, literature, public policy and journalism.
A truly global enterprise, the Brown-India Initiative is based at the Watson Institute for International Studies, which offers unique opportunities for producing policy-relevant scholarship. Watson is home to some of the leading political scientists, sociologists, economists, anthropologists and policy makers at Brown and a cohort of visiting international scholars.
Partnerships form a key component of the Initiative’s research projects. Current partners include: Janaagraha (Bangalore), Center for Policy Research (Delhi), National Council of Applied Economic Research (Delhi), and Center for Public Policy (IIM-Bangalore).
The Brown-India Initiative was inspired and informed by Brown's Year of India (2009-10), which brought leading literary figures to campus, profiled India's arts and music, and sponsored discussions of India's politics and economics, in which academics, policy makers and public intellectuals participated.
Begining January 2014, Nirupama Rao, the former ambassador of India, will join the Brown-India Initiative as Meera and Vikram Gandhi Fellow for one year.
http://www.meeragandhi.com/about-meera-gandhi.htm
Past Fellows
Spring 2013
Yogendra Yadav
Fall 2012
Barkha Dutt
JwalaMukhi wrote:http://delhidurbar.in/khobragade-arrest ... gone-awry/Rony wrote:Can anyone guess who this former foreign secretary is ? Nirupama Rao can be the one (refer to KC Singh's tweets) but T.N.Ninan is suggesting it is a 'he'.A war of words also broke out within the IFS fraternity, with former secretary K.C. Singh openly accusing former foreign secretary and outgoing ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, of leaving India-US relations in shambles while herself having found a post-retirement sinecure.
....
In another embassy compound next door, a family of diplomats was savouring Oscar Mayer Bologna Sliced bought from the commissary of the American embassy in New Delhi at an unbelievable price of just $2.61 a package. Cheaper than in New York!
For those familiar with the innards of diplomatic life in India’s capital, these are familiar scenes that have played out for decades, so long that those posted to foreign missions in New Delhi have taken the US commissary for granted.
Devyani Khobragade and Sangeeta Richard have upset this tranquillity of diplomatic life in New Delhi at the worst time possible: the Christmas season and the week of New Year parties.
The long shadow of a termination of duty-free, “bonded” imports for the commissary following the arrest and mistreatment of India’s deputy consul-general in New York has dampened year-end celebrations by the large community of foreigners in Chanakyapuri this week. Not just Americans, but across the capital’s diplomatic community because the American commissary meets the gourmet needs of several embassies and their households in New Delhi.
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At the last count, some 15 third countries were members of the American embassy facility and their diplomats could shop duty-free at the commissary for products from around the world. But their transactions are on a “cash and carry” basis: they have to pay upfront for all purchases with the US dollar or rupee cheques or in cash.
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The commissary, a large supermarket, is run as a cooperative and is part of the American Community Support Association (ACSA), set up for the welfare of US government personnel posted to India and their families as well as other American citizens living in India. At its launch, the then US ambassador to India described it as a “home away from home” for his compatriots.
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Its role has increased exponentially with the growth in Indo-US engagement at all levels in recent years. That status is now under threat because of the diplomatic spat in New York.
In addition to the commissary, the ACSA runs a restaurant, a video club, a beverages and snack bar, a sports field with special equipment, a swimming pool, a bowling alley and a gym on the embassy premises.
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A little 'birdie' reveals that its wasn't Sangeeta Richards who was the CIA asset, but her husband, who worked for them. He had inadvertently come to know the identity of a critical US asset at the highest levels of the GoI (perhaps even Indian intelligence services) and may have revealed it under interrogation to protect his family.
India has rebuffed attempts by the US to raise security concerns over Gujarat CM Narendra Modi's rally in Mumbai on Sunday, saying that ensuring security was its responsibility and it was not for anyone else to determine where Indian political parties conduct their political activities.
As India and the US seek to control the fallout from the Devyani Khobragade crisis, it is the issue of security which is proving to be the latest dampener. Despite India repeatedly asserting that security of no US installation in the country has been compromised after the recent removal of barricades, US authorities raised the issue again just ahead of the rally saying its consulate had been rendered vulnerable to possible attacks by people attending the rally.
MMRDA Grounds, where Modi's rally was held, is in the same Bandra area where the US consulate is located. India conveyed to the US that expressing concern about a "legitimate political rally" by a mainstream party on the basis of "specious" security concerns was completely unacceptable. US ambassador Nancy Powell was also invited for the rally initially but the invitation was later withdrawn by BJP.
Several layers of security were provided to the US consulate in Bandra and more security staff were deployed in the area. Officials though were stunned when US security concerns on Modi's rally were communicated as part of the need to tighten security.
It is learnt that the US insisted before Indian authorities that people likely to attend the rally on Sunday could be a threat to the consulate and its officials. Indian officials maintained throughout that the security issue raised by the US was a red herring and that the real issue in the ongoing crisis was the humiliation of an Indian diplomat and the subsequent US action to "evacuate" the family of Sangeeta Richard to New York.
India has maintained that while the removal of barricades will impact traffic movement, it will have no bearing on the security aspect and that India remained committed to Vienna conventions in this regard. The removal of barricades, it said, was a reciprocal measure and not a retaliation.
As the two countries seek a way out of the Khobragade crisis, India is also going ahead with other reciprocal measures it took after the diplomat's humiliation. US consular officials in consulates in all parts of India are to submit their identity cards by Monday.
India, it is understood, will insist that the new identity cards for consular officials and diplomats have the same language which the US has for Indian diplomats posted in consulates in the US, making it clear they will be liable to be arrested in case of contravention of Indian laws.
It is interesting that the Americans are seeking more time, beyond the December 23 deadline, to submit details about embassy staff spouses teaching in the local American School. Indian officials believe it may be worth finding out if there are dependents of US officials who have the requisite work permits to work in India or are there any who may have fallen foul of Indian requirements. Further, issues of compliance with Indian tax requirements for dependents of non-diplomatic staff working in American schools may well come tumbling out of the closet.
In fact, those accustomed to receiving Christmas and New Year gifts from the embassy and consulates may also have to wait a little longer. US containers containing these gifts have also been held up.
Ramana: even if the Devyani's treatment have nothing to do with Malhotra, the fact that the latter was transferred due to one phone call from Roosevelt House (never heard of them before) is preposterous.ramana wrote:Its nice theory that US was retaliating for Malhotra's denial of visa to US official in Nov 2013, but the facts don't fit the timeline. DK case was on slow burner from the time the maid was engaged with the dual contract. Its my theory that SR was offered as a agent provocateur to spring the DK trap for human trafficking.JwalaMukhi wrote: http://delhidurbar.in/khobragade-arrest ... gone-awry/
Actually the opposite. Its mostly non-catholic sects - Baptists, Methodists, Lutherians etc etc. Americans were wary of Kennedy because he was a catholic (they thought he would take orders from the pope)matrimc wrote:OT: It is even a subset - catholic nation - since catholic denomination is the largest.sanjaykumar wrote:The US is a Christians nation as its Christian never tire of promulgating.
I think lots of people are missing the significance of the removal of barriers.vera_k wrote:The barriers should be back if - ...