Devyani Khobragade fallout: Indian diplomats fear more US action, want change in visa status of dome

[thesolar65]

New Delhi : Stung by the India-US row over diplomat Devyani Khobragade and her help Sangeeta Richard, sources say the Foreign Ministry is now pushing the Finance Ministry to change the status of domestic workers who go to the US with Indian envoys.

Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh has met senior Finance Ministry officials in this regard, sources said.

Several Indian diplomats in the US are worried that the Americans will now act against them since their domestic helps also come on A3 visa like Ms Richards. The visa subjects them to US laws.

There are, according to sources, around 14 such 'ticking time bombs' in the US right now.
If the Foreign Ministry changes their status to Indian staffers, they will come under Indian law. The proposal requires clearance by the Finance Ministry.

Sources say some Indian diplomats may send back their domestic helps if the proposal is not cleared in the next few days.

Meanwhile, Ms Khobragade has moved a federal court in New York to dismiss the visa fraud case against her, saying there is lack of personal jurisdiction since she had been accorded full diplomatic immunity by the US Department of State.

Arrested on December 12, the 39-year-old diplomat was allegedly strip-searched and held with criminals, triggering a row between the two countries with India retaliating by downgrading privileges of certain category of US diplomats among other steps.

Devyani Khobragade fallout: Indian diplomats fear more US action, want change in visa status of domestic helps, say sources | NDTV.com

 

[JayAtl]

the hindu yesterday reported that she was offered a misdemeanor charge which is equal to getting a parking ticket in the US. BUT this gal/ her father and the Indian political core dug themselves so deep, that they even refused that.

A misdemeanor charge would have meant she could have continued to live in the US, pay maybe less than a $200 fine ( even that was waived), and she could have continued to be a consular officer and stayed with her family.

Now she is stripped of all immunity and can't never enter the US ever again or if she does ( they will never give her a visa again), she will face immediate arrest- so now can never see her kids, husband in the US...

sometimes false ego and listening to the ignorant Janta's emotions ends in a worse ending. This is a lifetime ban which is the worst of worst outcome.

 

[Sashan]

There are, according to sources, around 14 such 'ticking time bombs' in the US right now.

While many Indians were going bonkers about the slew of retaliation measures from MEA wrt US diplomats and their privileges in India, they never realized that U.S played it out well. If it had become a d***k measuring contest, these time bombs would have been one of the weapons used by US if it wanted to send a strong message to the cowboys in the MEA. After all two can play the same game.

 

[Srinivas]

Nothing is going to happen USA realized its mistake and corrected it accordingly and India also responded well.

 

[thesolar65]

While many Indians were going bonkers about the slew of retaliation measures from MEA wrt US diplomats and their privileges in India, they never realized that U.S played it out well. If it had become a d***k measuring contest, these time bombs would have been one of the weapons used by US if it wanted to send a strong message to the cowboys in the MEA. After all two can play the same game.

If the Foreign Ministry changes their status to Indian staffers, they will come under Indian law.

Which will be cleared by Fin Min soon to be applicable to US.

 

[Sashan]

If the Foreign Ministry changes their status to Indian staffers, they will come under Indian law.

Which will be cleared by Fin Min soon to be applicable to US.

Let Indian Government change their procedures. Not only here with the maid services but also the procedure for Dr. Kalam and other eminent citizens from India. Not that the Indian Government has acted on it after the last outrage with Dr. Kalam and even when there was an outrage with the then currently serving Defense minister, George Fernandez (the irony is GOI is more hellbent on according that privilege to Robert Vadra) . Why no one had raised that question again begs me.

 

[thesolar65]

Let Indian Government change their procedures. Not only here with the maid services but also the procedure for Dr. Kalam and other eminent citizens from India. Not that the Indian Government has acted on it after the last outrage with Dr. Kalam and even when there was an outrage with the then currently serving Defense minister, George Fernandez (the irony is GOI is more hellbent on according that privilege to Robert Vadra) . Why no one had raised that question again begs me.

Yes, you are right on this one.

 

[Solomon2]

I think it's likely that the U.S. will do as such leading newspapers as The Washington Post suggested and cancel the A-3 visa program for Indian diplomats, since India has demonstrated that not only did it intentionally and repeatedly abuse the program in the past, but it pugnaciously desires to continue such abuse in the future.

Don't think, however, that it's so easy to change the visas the way India wants. I've seen this sort of thing done before. Diplomats won't be able to have personal housekeepers. They may have, for occasional official functions only, housekeepers normally assigned to the embassy or consulate itself work at their homes. And they may be able to engage Indian students in the U.S. to work part-time for free as personal assistants if the students can somehow get college credit for it.

 

[armchairPrivate]

Actions have consequences you know.
The Indians should know. They even invented the word. It's called karma.