WASHINGTON – Trying to tamp down the growing Indian-American feud over the apparent strip search of an Indian Diplomat in the U.S., Secretary of State John Kerry called a high-ranking Indian official Wednesday to discuss the situation.
According to a State Department spokeswoman, today Secretary Kerry called Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon to discuss the December 12th arrest of Deputy Consul General Khobragade. It has been reported that Khobragade had been arrested over a charge of filing false paperwork on her maid. According to USA Today, “the U.S. Marshals Service subjected her to an intrusive search (including a cavity search) and DNA swabbing following her arrest last week outside her daughter’s Manhattan school on visa charges despite her ‘incessant assertions of immunity.'”
State Department spokeswoman Marie Hanf said Wednesday that “The Secretary understands very deeply the importance of enforcing our laws and protecting victims, and, like all officials in positions of responsibility inside the U.S. Government, expects that laws will be followed by everyone here in our country. It is also particularly important to Secretary Kerry that foreign diplomats serving in the United States are accorded respect and dignity just as we expect our own diplomats should receive overseas.
“As a father of two daughters about the same age as Devyani Khobragade, the Secretary empathizes with the sensitivities we are hearing from India about the events that unfolded after Ms. Khobragade’s arrest, and in his conversation with National Security Advisor Menon he expressed his regret, as well as his concern that we not allow this unfortunate public issue to hurt our close and vital relationship with India.”