Indian official says when Khobragade was posted to Islamabad, she had not encountered such treatment, despite the hostility between India and Pakistan. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
NEW DELHI: India has sought details about staff in American schools in the country for possible tax violations and revoked ID cards of US consular officials and their families, as retaliatory steps for the arrest of their diplomat in New York.
The measures suggest that the two countries are no closer to a resolution of a diplomatic dispute over the treatment of Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade this month on charges of visa fraud and underpayment of her housekeeper.
Khobragade, who has denied the charges, was handcuffed and strip-searched while in custody, sparking outrage in India.
An Indian government official said on Friday that New Delhi had asked the US embassy to provide details about people working in American schools and other US government facilities to determine if they had permission to do so and if they were paying taxes that are mandatory under Indian law.
Diplomats' spouses who take up work in schools or other embassy facilities are supposed to inform the host country. Violations of this kind had often been ignored, but now India would not turn a blind eye, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The US embassy declined to comment on the latest steps.
India had also withdrawn some privileges US diplomats and their families enjoy and would treat them as Indian officials are treated in the United States, the Indian official said.
US Ambassador Nancy Powell has been refused special privileges at New Delhi airport. "We have said all access is on a reciprocal basis," the government official said. "She is not going to get the benefits that the Indian ambassador in the US doesn't get."
US consular officials and their families have been asked to surrender identity cards that gave them a degree of immunity.
Under a new regime, consular officials - but not their families - will be given identity cards with fewer privileges. "Spouses and children have no more immunity. So if there is a parking offence or ... something else happening in Bangalore etcetera, they would be held liable," the Indian official said.
Khobragade was released in New York on $250,000 bail after giving up her passport and pleading not guilty to visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her Indian housekeeper. She faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed regret over the case in a phone call to India's national security adviser last week, but India is still demanding that the charges be dropped and that the United States apologises. US prosecutors have defended the investigation against Khobragade and her treatment.
Before this diplomatic blowup, US-Indian relations were seen as cordial and improving.
In a new twist, India now argues that Khobragade was accredited to the United Nations at the time of her detention, giving her immunity from arrest.
She was temporarily moved to India's UN mission in August to help with the workload ahead of the General Assembly session and a visit by the prime minister. A copy of her accreditation, made available to Reuters, lists her as an adviser for a period from August 26 until December 31.
"At no stage we were told by the US side what was going on. We were kept in the dark. A lot of these things could have come out had we been informed then," the official said, explaining that India had not been warned she might be arrested. He said that even when Khobragade was posted to Islamabad she had not encountered such treatment, despite the hostility between India and Pakistan.
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@unbelievable: Wishful thinking eh ?
@unbelievable: Remember that the IT folks of India working in the US serve American companies. Sending them home will only increase costs of those American companies, hence affecting their profitability. Employing Indian folks are cost-effective as their salaries are lower and are only paid by their Indian sourcing companies. About half the number of H1Bs visas issued every year go to Indians. And 8 out of the top 10 corporates in the world that are the biggest consumers of H1B visas are Indian companies. Cutting down on these numbers very drastically will only affect the American economy.
@Pakistan: Justice prevails? Did justice prevail in the case of Raymond Davis? Or in the case of Joshua Walde, who killed a father of three and injured 8 others in a road accident in Kenya. America extracted him out of Kenya the following day. Crash victims received no financial assistance. The widow of the victim was not contacted at all by the driver or the embassy officials. Walde was working for the US government at the time of the accident. Where's the justice that you claim prevails?
@Unbeliveable :-
42% of NASA, 39 % Aerospace and 47% of Information and tech, 29% doctors etc etc are Indians , the reverse brain drain might not harm India as best of talent would be back in India....
WE WOULD RATHER WELCOME US DOOING SO... But will US dare so ???
And in this case The fault is of american authorities her own salary is 4500$ and they misread documents as that's maids salary. Its a scam some hint at maid beeing CIA agent.
Would US risk 250$ billion trade in coming decade??
Like other counties USA also doesn't care what happens within people's private or public living styles or investments unless someone reports. Once reported the law comes into force without any prejudice and without any status rather more forcefully if the victim happens to be weaker. There are numerous examples set in the past and very high profile people suffered heavily in similar situations. It was USA's moral duty to protect the weak and her entire family from retaliation. How many people have voiced in favor of the weaker party! The main problem is not with Khobragade but with the entire Indian diplomatic staff who bring maids/servants as almost all violate and indirectly do the same as Khobragade did but unluckily her maid or nanny had guts to demand her dues. Now India is just overdoing while trying to find something against American diplomatic staff and end result will be embarrassment.
USA should just stop processing visa's and ask all the Indian IT guys to go home - that should get their attention.
@Moti: Are you for REAL????, you need help dear.. you need help!!!
Finally India you have woken up......well better late than never!!!!
It is now clear from all the evidence that is coming out that the maid was treated and paid very well. However, she wanted to permanently reside in the US. So, she deliberately made those wild accusations as that was the only way she could have been able to obtain asylum in the US. This is a big racket going on in the US.
The criminal charge of "visa fraud" is totally baseless as the diplomat was not a party in the visa process. The diplomat was not required to make any statement or declaration along with the visa application. All information in the visa application and interview was given by the maid and it was signed by the maid alone. If there was any false statement, it was made by the maid alone.
The diplomat had full immunity from personal arrest since she was also an advisor to India UN mission in New York and hence eligible to TOTAL IMMUNITY.
Arresting and strip searching an accused is NOT a standard procedure in US. In fact, in for first offenders with white-collar and non-violent charges, the attorneys on both sides usually agree to a voluntary surrender and arraignment.
It is very clear that the State Dept and the US attorney's office acted on the claims of the maid alone and did not even try to learn the other side of the story.