New Delhi/Washington
A nasty month-long diplomatic row between India and the US got inflamed Friday with New Delhi expelling an American diplomat after Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, whose arrest had sparked unprecedented acrimony between the countries, was indicted by a US grand jury and left for New Delhi before she could be declared persona non grata or detained.
In reciprocal action, the US embassy was "asked to withdraw forthwith a US diplomat of similar rank as Khobragade", official sources said.
"We have reason to believe that the officer was closely involved in the processes related to the (Khobragade case) and the subsequent unilateral action by the US side," the sources familiar with the developments said.
The name of the expelled American diplomat was not known. The US embassy remained tightlipped.
Khobragade, 39, India's deputy consul general in New York, was arrested Dec 12 and allegedly insulted for alleged falsification of her housemaid's visa papers and violation of US labour laws. The widely publicised American actions caused outrage in India and strained bilateral ties in ways not seen in recent years, especially since the two countries developed a special relationship following their civil nuclear deal.
She was acted on by US prosecutors after her maid, Sangeeta Richard, complained to human rights bodies that she was being ill-treated and underpaid. Khobragade was arrested when she had gone to drop her daughter to school in Manhattan, and reported that she was handcuffed and humiliated like a common criminal, a fact that was denied by the office of the prosecutor, Indian American Preet Bharara. She was later released on bail bonds.
According to officials, the American diplomat, who was asked to leave, helped the housemaid Sangeeta Richard’s husband and two children to fly to New York two days before Khobragade's arrest.
By:IANS