US tries again to calm India over diplomat

INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW YORK AND NEW DELHI

The prosecutor in the case, Preet Bharara, the US attorney for Manhattan, on Wednesday defended the treatment of the diplomat, asked why there was less sympathy for the nanny and said it was standard practice for any defendant to undergo a full search, "rich or poor, American or not."

India's foreign ministry lambasted Bharara's remarks.

"The action taken against her was not in keeping with the Vienna Convention," spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said. "There were no courtesies in the treatment that was meted out to the diplomat, under the normal definition of that word in the English language."

The Indian Embassy in Washington, in a written statement, accused the housekeeper, Sangeeta Richard, of blackmail in demanding that she be allowed to change her passport and visa status to work elsewhere.

It also called on US authorities to arrest Richard for stealing cash, a mobile phone and documents from Khobragade.

Bharara, in his statement, said Richard's family had been brought to the United States after legal efforts had begun in India "to silence her, and attempts were made to compel her to return to India."

Akbaruddin said: "It needs to be asked what right a foreign government has to 'evacuate' Indian citizens from India while cases are pending against them in the Indian legal system."

In a report filed by Khobragade with police in India, the diplomat said the nanny told her in June that she felt "overburdened" by her work and wanted to be free to leave the house between 7 pm and 7 am.

Khobragade responded that Richard had come to the United States on an official passport and "perhaps government rules do not permit her to stay beyond the limit of consulate premises," according to police and court documents seen by Reuters.

The report alleged that Richard had committed crimes under Indian law by making a "false promise" in order to enter the United States and was duty-bound to surrender her passport the moment she stopped working as a domestic servant for Khobragade.

A court order issued an arrest warrant for Richard, and - according to foreign minister Khurshid - her Indian passport has been revoked.

"Unless she takes asylum she will have to come back, she doesn't have a valid passport," he said.