Khobragade issue: India ups ante, bars commercial activities in US consulate

India asks US to discontinue commercial activities from its embassy

Building the pressure on the US to “unconditionally” drop charges against diplomat Devyani Khobragade, India on Wednesday took further action, even as it awaits a formal apology over the issue. India on Wednesday gave the US consulate here a January 16 deadline to stop all commercial activities taking place on its premises.

The US embassy here has been running a club  that houses a pool, a restaurant, a beauty parlour and a gymnasium. The club is frequented by non-diplomatic American citizens and their friends and relatives, sources told Business Standard.

According to Article 41(3) of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, such activities are not allowed on the premises of a mission for non-diplomatic citizens.

The announcement comes ahead of Khobragade’s indictment on Monday.

India has not received any official response from the US on some of the issues so far. It had questioned Khobragade’s arrest on December 12 while she was enjoying diplomatic immunity at that time. The US, it seems, has also not responded to India’s demand for dropping charges against the diplomat unconditionally and to send Khobragade’s housekeeper, Sangeeta Richard, back to India, sources added. India has also been insisting on an official apology over the incident from the US government. Khobragade’s request to extend the January-13 deadline for her indictment in New York was also turned down.  

On Wednesday, India also said vehicles used by US diplomats would not be spared, if found violating traffic rules. These would be subjected to same penalties and punishment as non-diplomatic cars.

Last month, India stripped US diplomats of some of the special privileges and took a series of reciprocal steps. These included withdrawing identity cards and replacing those with exact replicas of cards provided to Indian consulate officials in the US. Also, US consular staff will now only be permitted to import their requirements during the first six months of assuming office as provided in the Vienna Convention.  Earlier, they were allowed to import their requirements over for the three-year period of their tenure.

The ban on duty-free import of liquor and food by the US embassy also continues. The traffic barricades in front of the US embassy were also removed last month.

A 1999-batch Indian Foreign Services officer and the deputy consul-general, Khobragade was handcuffed and strip-searched after being arrested by New York Police Department on alleged visa fraud charges and underpaying her housekeeper a Richard, sparking a massive diplomatic row between the two nations.

She was later released on a $250,000 bail. Khobragade denied making any false claims, while accusing Richard of extortion, theft and blackmail.

Khobragade, who was then posted in New York as deputy consul-general, was accredited as the ‘advisor’ in the United Nations with effect from August 26 which was valid till December 31. Thus, at the time of arrested, she enjoyed total diplomatic immunity. The accreditation was for the UN General Assembly 2013.