Talking to reporters, Singh said, “You do not treat an Indian diplomat in this manner whether it is in the US or any other country. We expect our diplomat to be given exactly the same courtesies that we extend to American diplomats or diplomat of any other country.”
A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested on December 12 on visa fraud charges as she was dropping her daughter to school and released on a USD 250,000 bond after pleading not guilty in court.
The ill-treatment of its diplomat evoked a sharp reaction from India which initiated a slew of steps to downgrade the privileges enjoyed by the US diplomats and their families including withdrawing airport passes and stopping import clearances.
Meanwhile, in Washington, the US State Department rejected India's demands of dropping visa fraud charges against Khobragade and apologising for mistreating her, saying the allegations were “very serious” and she would not be allowed to go scot-free.
State Department spokesperson Marie Harf also made it clear that the immunity sought for 39-year-old Khobragade after her transfer to India's Permanent Mission to the UN is “not retroactive”.
