Times have changed, India tells US

NEW DELHI: The India-US diplomatic storm raged on without let-up with New Delhi demanding an unconditional apology over arrest of an Indian diplomat in the US after a State Department spokesperson ruled out withdrawal of charges and an apology.

India’s information minister lashed out at the US on Friday and demanded an apology for the treatment of the diplomat who was arrested in New York, saying America cannot behave “atrociously” and get away with it.

The December 13 arrest and strip-search of Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, has sparked a diplomatic storm between the US and India. US prosecutors say Khobragade lied on a visa form about how much she paid her housekeeper. The diplomat has pleaded not guilty.

“The fact is that American authorities have behaved atrociously with an Indian diplomat and obviously America has to make good for its actions,” Information Minister Manish Tewari told reporters. “I think it’s a legitimate expectation that if they have erred - and they have erred grievously in this matter - they should come forth and apologise.”

“They should tender a clear apology. We will not accept this conduct against India under any circumstances,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath told reporters. “The US has to understand that the world has changed, times have changed and India has changed.’’

But Washington had ruled out acceding to either of the two Indian demands — withdrawal of charges against Khobragade, and an apology.

“We take these allegations very seriously. We’re not in any way walking back from those allegations or the charges. Again, this is really a law enforcement issue,” the State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said on Thursday.

Activists of a small Indian political group ransacked a Dominos Pizza outlet in a Mumbai suburb yestrerday, demanding a ban on US goods until Washington apologises for the arrest. Police said no-one was hurt in the attack,

Meanwhile, the lawyer for the housekeeper said she worked from morning until late at night, seven days week, for less than $3 an hour taking care of the two children of a diplomat. Unable to get a better deal, she made sure the children were cared for one day and walked out, Safe Horizon staff attorney Dana Sussman said on Thursday.

From that moment on, Sangeeta Richard relied on the kindness of strangers within the Indian community in New York City, and even was looked after at one point by a Sikh temple. She eventually connected with the nonprofit Safe Horizon, which has an anti-trafficking programme. “She was basically just trying to find her way. She was left with the clothes on her back, with very little money,”

The family of Richard has alleged that they were frightened on several occasions as demands were made on them to bring the domestic worker back to India. A report in the New York Times quoted a person close to Richard’s family as describing several episodes that frightened her family members.

In one case, Richard’s husband Philip, while bicycling with one of his children, was confronted by a man with a gun who demanded that his wife return home, the report said.

Richard’s husband said he had been called more than once by Khobragade’s father, who asked him to make his wife return to India, the person said. In another instance, Richard’s husband was interrogated by the police in India about his wife’s whereabouts in the US, the report said.

Khobragade’s father, Uttam, said that his daughter treated the housekeeper “like family”, had Sundays off and had free reign in the family home.