India accuses US of fraud, says diplomat trapped in conspiracy: Report

Even as the outrage over the arrest of Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade continued with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh making his first comments describing as "deplorable" the way the diplomat was treated, she has been transferred to the Indian Mission to the UN to give her fuller diplomatic immunity.



In his first statement in Parliament on the issue, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said that she was the victim of a "conspiracy" and that some people had "trapped" Khobragade, who was put through both strip and cavity searches, procedures normally used for criminals.



Narrating the sequence of events that began in June-July this year, Khurshid said the maid servant disappeared and a case was lodged with New York Police Department but no action was taken, pti reported.



"The Deputy Consul General (later) received a phone call from a lawyer who refused to identify himself and offered to settle the matter that would result in grant of permanent citizenship to her and a huge compensation. It became clear that this was a conspiracy and some people trapped her," he said, adding the treatment meted out to Khobragade had "not happened out of blue" and there is a "history" behind it.



Significantly, the family of the maid, Sangeeta Richards, was granted visa by the US embassy despite India being in touch with Americans since her disappearance and cancellation of her official passport in June. The family - Sangeeta's husband Philip and two children- left for New York on December 10, just two days before Khobragade was arrested.



Given the "odd" timing of the departure of the family of the maid and arrest of Indian diplomat, there is a feeling that there were "three rings of charade" as US facilitated a visa fraud even after being told by India that there was a risk of illegal immigration by Sangeeta and her family.



A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on visa fraud charges as she was dropping her daughter to school and released on a USD 250,000 bond only after pleading not guilty in court.



The ill-treatment of the its diplomat evoked a sharp reaction from India which initiated a slew of steps to downgrade the privileges enjoyed by the US diplomats and their families including withdrawing airport passes and stopping import clearances.



Khurshid also asserted that India will intervene "effectively and specifically" to ensure the return and restoration of dignity of its Deputy Consul General as it a matter of the country's prestige and honour.



India also alleged that it tried to file a case of "extortion" in July when Khobragade received a phone call offering to settle the matter that would result in grant of permanent citizenship to her and a huge compensation but no action was taken.



Officials here also feel that the US, which has filed the case against Khobragade unlike previous two cases involving Indian diplomats in New York -Prabhu Dayal and Neena Malhotra- has shown "poor diplomatic behaviour" towards an officer representing her country in official capacity.



There is a strong demand that Khobragade should be released unconditionally and all the charges against her should be dropped.



Meanwhile, after India's reaction of stripping the US diplomats of certain privileges and also removing the traffic barricades around the US embassy here, the US said it has conveyed at high levels its expectation that India will continue to fulfil its obligations under the Convention and ensure safety and security of its our diplomats.



To which India responded by saying that it was fully committed to ensuring security of all diplomats, including those from the US, within confines of its law and pledged full implementation of the Vienna Convention while asking other countries to do the same.



To US' concerns over diplomats' security, India maintains that there is no compromise on the security aspect of the diplomats and only the traffic aspect has been impacted with removal of the concrete barricades around the mission.



The reason given for removal of barricades was denial of designated parking space for the Indian embassy in Washington in January.



With nearly three cases involving senior Indian diplomats and their Indian-Based Domestic Assistants (IBDA) occurring in last three years, the government is also in the process of reviewing the policy dealing with the issue.



There is a move under which these IBDAs, who are entitled to boarding and lodging, return passage and holiday passage and same medical care as their bosses apart from cash payments, can be taken as contractual employees of government. At present, they are treated as quasi-official staff.



Last week, India had summoned US Ambassador Nancy Powell and issued a demarche, conveying its "shock" over "absolutely unacceptable" treatment meted out to the senior Indian diplomat.



Powell had again met External Affairs Ministry officials on Monday and conveyed that the standard procedures were followed during the arrest of Khobragade who was then handed over to US marshals, indicating that the matter was handled by them and not by the State Department.



Objecting the "manner" in which its diplomat was treated, India conveyed that there are ways to handle such issue.



It maintained that the government which handles nearly 150 foreign missions in the country also deals with instances of diplomats misusing their immunity in the manner which was not offending or humiliating.



Meanwhile, the Association of Indian Foreign Services today termed as "unwarranted, excessive and exceptionable" the arrest and shameful treatment meted out by US authorities to one of its members, Devyani Khobragade, Deputy Consul General in New York, and demanded dropping of all cases against her unconditionally.



In a resolution passed at a meeting, under the Presidentship of Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, the Association said, "It is firmly of the view that the conduct of the US authorities was violative of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963 and in violation of accepted norms and practice between civilised States.



"Clearly, such action is unwarranted, excessive and exceptionable, and not in keeping with or conducive to the development of India's friendly, wide ranging and cooperative relations with the United States based on mutual respect."



Expressing its fullest solidarity with Khobragade at this trying and exigent moment, the Association said it strongly condemns the treatment meted out to her.



The Association also welcomed the statements made by the Indian political leadership, ministries and state governments, media and public opinion expressing solidarity and support.



"The humiliation was not just Khobragade's, but India's. To this end, the Association seeks urgently an assurance from the US authorities of the safety and well-being of its officer in keeping with the spirit of the Vienna Convention.

The Association further demands that all cases against her should be dropped unconditionally," the resolution said.



A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested last week on visa fraud charges as she was dropping her daughter to school and released on a USD 250,000 bond only after pleading not guilty in court.



The senior diplomat was put through both strip and cavity searches, procedures normally used for criminals.



Earlier also the arrogant US has insulted India, to which it called a supportive friend, by searching the Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, former President and ministers, on their visit to US.

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