India seeks US official's withdrawal

Source: BBC

Devyani Khobragade's case has caused outrage in India

Source: BBC

Devyani Khobragade's case has caused outrage in India

India has asked the US to withdraw an official from its embassy in Delhi in a row over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.

Devyani Khobragade is flying home after she was ordered to leave the US having been indicted on criminal charges.

She was arrested in New York last month on charges of visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper.

India demanded an apology after she was handcuffed and strip-searched, and has refused to waive her immunity.

Khobragade has always denied any wrongdoing.  

DIPLOMATIC REPRISALS

Some local reports say Washington has been asked to withdraw a diplomat of a "similar rank" as Khobragade from its Delhi mission.

Others quote an unnamed government official as saying the US official was involved in the case relating to Khobragade - although this is yet to be confirmed.

The US embassy has not commented so far.

Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, was asked to leave the US after India refused to waive her diplomatic immunity, according to US officials.

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says that by ordering the US to remove one of its officials from its Delhi embassy, the Indian government is treating the departure of Khobragade as an expulsion.

She was arrested after a complaint from her maid, Sangeeta Richard.

Khobragade in turn accused Richard of theft and attempted blackmail.

Delhi said it was "shocked and appalled" at the manner of her arrest, and ordered a series of diplomatic reprisals against the US.

Security barricades around the US embassy in the capital were removed and a visiting US delegation was snubbed by senior Indian politicians and officials.

On Wednesday, the embassy was ordered to stop "commercial activities on its premises". India also said that embassy cars could be penalised for traffic offences.

The embassy has been told to shut down a club within its premises which includes a pool, restaurant and tennis court, NDTV news channel said.