Indian IFS Handcuffed and strip-searched in US

What the US did is certainly uncalled for. While I may not go as far as calling it an attack on our sovereignty (as some are saying), US is in the habit of throwing its weight around everywhere and it does feel good to dish it back to them. But we should show restraint and not go overboard with the reaction at the risk of damaging long term relations.

However, I do think all this reaction from MPs and Khurshid smacks of populism as the elections are approaching. Just a few days back there was news of an Indian sailor in jail in Togo and unable to get back for his infant son's funeral. Many Indians work under harsh circumstances in the Gulf but the govt. hardly ever moves to help them. We are not good at protecting rights of our citizens in foreign countries. So all this govt. activity in this case seems to suggest you can rot in foreign jails if you are an Indian student, sailor, contract worker etc, but if you are a privileged diplomat, the govt will move mountains for you!
 
Before we blame USA and how our lady consulate was treated, please read this:


(Source : Wiki and other news reports)
Sangeeta Richard was hired by Devyani Khobragade in November 2012 as a nanny and domestic servant. Richard left Khobragade's employment in June 2013 and hired an American immigration attorney to investigate the alleged visa fraud. Khobragade pursued the matter with the Delhi High Court, which issued an interim injunction against Richard, preventing her from taking legal action outside the Indian judiciary.The Metropolitan Magistrate of the South District Court in New Delhi then issued an arrest warrant for Richard and requested that the US government locate her.

<Now, do'nt you think that Madam Consulate was on wrong foot in a country which is so strict about minimum wages? >

She was charged with visa fraud, making false statements and underpaying Sangeeta Richard, her Indian housekeeper and babysitter. Prosecutors indicated that Khobragade claimed to pay the housekeeper $4,500 per month while actually paying her $3.31 per hour,less than the US minimum wage.It should be noted that Khobragade herself is alleged to only make $4,120 a month

Mere hisaab se to theek hua including strip searching ( though I doubt what this Lady Consulate is saying about strip searching - if she can exploit a fellow Indian, she can tell a lie very easily). These so called diplomats have always been notorious in the past too and keep exploiting our very own people for their interest. If Madam consulate was not able to afford a nanny at full rates, she should have done her house chores on her own like how most of our NRIs do.


Ebb nakhre to raaja maharaaja aale, to le le suwaad !!!!!!
 
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Internet pe padhan me aaya hai ki Devyani ka pitaji bhi IAS officer hai or Deshmukh govt k time achhe bade ohde par tha aur Adarsh land scam me isko bhi kuchh hissa mila tha. Center govt. me bhi achhi pahoch bataayi gayi iski, kaanch taayi ka hangga laa raakha se eeb to Khurshid & Co. ne. Dalit hain jaati ke ho sakta hai ye bhi factor raha ho Bharat sarkar ke is type ke reaction ka.
Galti to sabki laage hai thodi. Nokraani bhi ghaat kona, June 2013 me Devyani ka USA wala ghar chhod k bhaaj gi thi kyuki usko extra kaam karne se mana kar diya tha. agar nokraani bahar kahin kaam karti to aisa visa ke niyam ka ullanghan maana jaata.
ijjat vijjat to se nahi Bharat aala ki bahar ke deshaa me, koye ho fafed ke jaanda rah se. pahla bhi sarkar ke nikamme pan ki wajah se India students pitte the Melbourne me.
ho sakta hai iska nateeja kuchh achha hi nikle.
 
Sahi kaha vivek bhai. Sarkar hi itni nilkami hai ki koi b inke sir pe "urine" karke chala jata h aur ye khisyani Billi ki trah dekhte rahte h
 
Indian Govt nikkammi hai, sirf bayan deti hai faltu ke.
Indian Govt should raise their diplomats allowances so that these people can live with dignity, or if Govt can not afford that they should reduce staff there. Most of these diplomats work outside to make extra money. (Majboori hai and I sympathize with them)
It looks like a fued between diplomat and the nanny, US Govt did whatever was needed, they just followed the complaint nanny made. I do not think US govt would have any interest to humiliate Indian nationals (Gulf countries are enough for that) These politicians are making this issue out of a non issue.

BTW Prosecutor is also a DESI guy, Preet Bhara, so no chances of racisim.

In fact It is good when these high profile diplomats/bureaucrats/ministers get this treatment outside India, otherwise they are spoiled by special treatment in India. If they do not behave they deserv it.
 
rsdalal said:
BTW Prosecutor is also a DESI guy, Preet Bhara, so no chances of racisim..
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People said he is doing to gain fame among NYC community and fulfill his political aspirations. He has been doing these headline grabbing cases for some time and so no one calls him to have a soft stand on India he took up a case against Indian diplomat.


Having said that what Indian govt has done was long due, and should yield good results for Indians living abroad.
 
Reciprocity is the common denominator in international or for that matter in any type of relationship. Treat Americans exactly the way they treat you. Often people like Bharara build their carrier at the cost of larger national interests. If one adds the salary of this domestic help and all other perks like food, accommodation, medical and travels to India, it should be coming to handsome amount and almost to what had been agreed. Let us do simple arithmetic to what it comes to;

1. Payments in USA / month $ 500.00
2. Payments in India/ month $ 500.00
3. One room rent in Manhattan $ 500.00 ( hope I am not too wrong)
4. Elect and other utility bills $ 200.00 ( assuming this lady had a cell phone too)
5. medical insurance $ 300.00
6. food $ 400.00
7. Clothing $ 25.00
8. home air travel $ 250.00 ( per month assuming her two annual trips to India)

Trust me, most full time office secretaries in US don't make this sort of money. Its seems the lady and some typical American lawyer had ganged up to blackmail the Indian counselor. Time to take stock of everything.

RK^2
 
anilsangwan said:
Before we blame USA and how our lady consulate was treated, please read this:


(Source : Wiki and other news reports)
Sangeeta Richard was hired by Devyani Khobragade in November 2012 as a nanny and domestic servant. Richard left Khobragade's employment in June 2013 and hired an American immigration attorney to investigate the alleged visa fraud. Khobragade pursued the matter with the Delhi High Court, which issued an interim injunction against Richard, preventing her from taking legal action outside the Indian judiciary.The Metropolitan Magistrate of the South District Court in New Delhi then issued an arrest warrant for Richard and requested that the US government locate her.

<Now, do'nt you think that Madam Consulate was on wrong foot in a country which is so strict about minimum wages? >

She was charged with visa fraud, making false statements and underpaying Sangeeta Richard, her Indian housekeeper and babysitter. Prosecutors indicated that Khobragade claimed to pay the housekeeper $4,500 per month while actually paying her $3.31 per hour,less than the US minimum wage.It should be noted that Khobragade herself is alleged to only make $4,120 a month

Mere hisaab se to theek hua including strip searching ( though I doubt what this Lady Consulate is saying about strip searching - if she can exploit a fellow Indian, she can tell a lie very easily). These so called diplomats have always been notorious in the past too and keep exploiting our very own people for their interest. If Madam consulate was not able to afford a nanny at full rates, she should have done her house chores on her own like how most of our NRIs do.


Ebb nakhre to raaja maharaaja aale, to le le suwaad !!!!!!
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Ek number ki baat kahi sai Sangwan bhai nai!!

In developed countries mai koon rakhe sai naukar. MP dhore kimme na hota.. khud aapni gaadi nai chalakai jaawe sain.aur khud kare sain saare kaam. nyu e sarkaari karamchari. Chahe wo Cabinet secretary ho.

India mai ghane chadha rakhe sain Babu aar neta log. Ye nyu e sedhe jaange sabnai.
 
vicky84 said:
India mai ghane chadha rakhe sain Babu aar neta log. Ye nyu e sedhe jaange sabnai.
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What you said is true but let us look at more human angle as well. That maid was care taker of her child, being a diplomat you rome around a lot of countries and can not afford to have local care takers as your child might not learn anything due to cultural+language differences(fortunately America speaks english).

This goes for all the embassies and their staff i believe.
 
desijat said:
What you said is true but let us look at more human angle as well. That maid was care taker of her child, being a diplomat you rome around a lot of countries and can not afford to have local care takers as your child might not learn anything due to cultural+language differences(fortunately America speaks english).

This goes for all the embassies and their staff i believe.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree. But you have to pay at least minimum wage. And if you cannot afford then don't use the services. But you cannot exploit a person. One has to follow the law. And if you don't follow then you have to pay the appropriate price too.
 
rsdalal said:
Indian Govt nikkammi hai, sirf bayan deti hai faltu ke.
Indian Govt should raise their diplomats allowances so that these people can live with dignity, or if Govt can not afford that they should reduce staff there. Most of these diplomats work outside to make extra money. (Majboori hai and I sympathize with them)
It looks like a fued between diplomat and the nanny, US Govt did whatever was needed, they just followed the complaint nanny made. I do not think US govt would have any interest to humiliate Indian nationals (Gulf countries are enough for that) These politicians are making this issue out of a non issue.

BTW Prosecutor is also a DESI guy, Preet Bhara, so no chances of racisim.

In fact It is good when these high profile diplomats/bureaucrats/ministers get this treatment outside India, otherwise they are spoiled by special treatment in India. If they do not behave they deserv it.
Click to expand...

This is not true that most of the diplomats work outside to earn extra money. There may be sporadic cases of spouses working in some developed countries, especially English speaking, where jobs are available to foreigners. However, the salary being paid at present plus perks (furnished accommodation, cost of passage, baggage allowance, education, medical etc.) is sufficient for a comfortable living, your suggestion for further increase is not bad either to make it competitive with diplomats of some other third world countries. Obviously, the servant's intentions were malafide. Otherwise, a salary of Rs. 30,000 plus a free accommodation, medical, travelling allowance, food etc. was not bad. Probably, she wanted to settle down in US and our Indian American well-wishers might have abetted her to indulge in this gambit.

Anyway, John Kerry is said to have spoken to National Security Advisor Shri Menon and has conveyed US apology, (Courtesy: CNN IBN).
 
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vicky84 said:
Yes I agree. But you have to pay at least minimum wage. And if you cannot afford then don't use the services. But you cannot exploit a person. One has to follow the law. And if you don't follow then you have to pay the appropriate price too.
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Vicky, the contract of $4500 was just a formality to facilitate visa to the domestic assistant. But, the lady assistant knew it very well what actually she was going to get as wages. Moreover, if she was not happy, she could have cancelled the contract at some later stage also. She betrayed Devyani's confidence for ulterior motives. For the sake of argument, even if Devyani was found guilty of breach of contract or forgery, the treatment meted out to her was disproportionate to her crime. Certainly, it was humiliation inflicted upon the entire Indian nation.
 
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singhvp said:
Vicky, the contract of $4500 was just a formality to facilitate visa to the domestic assistant. But, the lady assistant knew it very well what actually she was going to get as wages. Moreover, if she was not happy, she could have cancelled the contract at some later stage also. She betrayed Devyani's confidence for ulterior motives. For the sake of argument, even if Devyani was found guilty of breach of contract or forgery, the treatment meted out to her was disproportionate to her crime. Certainly, it was humiliation inflicted upon the entire Indian nation.
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Sir, kal ko to aise Indian Companies bhi karne lag jaayengi. Employees ko bulao India se aur unko low salary dekar karwa lo saare kaam aur profit bana lo.

Abhi picche Infosys bhi pakdi gayi thi yehi chalaki karne ki wagah se. Wo local American ne Infosys ke karnamo ko expose kiya tha. Otherwise to Infosys bhi aise hi exploit karti rehti employees ko.
 
Read this;

Feds: Man Held in Reno Supported India Terrorism (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/feds-man-held-reno-supported-india-terrorism-21269570}

Looks like Americans have learned some lesson at least for now. How come suddenly they have found this man and arrested him ? Whole episode needs serious investigation as there are too many loose ends. Just few days before the arrest of Divyani, the family of domestic help got asylum in USA ? Who organized the asylum and on what grounds? Is there a group in USA who is bent upon spoiling Indo-US relations? Time for India to expose this group. Also some lessons for our diplomats. Follow the rules in letter and spirit and ensure that rule of reciprocity is followed strictly.

RK^2
 
Foreign media on the same: Excerpts:


New York Times pointed out: "It is not unusual in India for domestic staff to be paid poorly and be required to work more than 60 hours a week; they are sometimes treated abominably. Reports of maids being imprisoned or abused by their employers are frequent," said [COLOR=#0000FF !important]Gardiner Harris[/COLOR] in his [COLOR=#0000FF !important]NYT report[/COLOR], adding, "The idea of a middle-class woman being arrested and ordered to disrobe is seen as shocking."

The newspapers also outlined how incidents of stripsearches, pat-downs and interrogations at airports have earlier made news in the country. "Top Indian officials are exempt from security screenings here, and long lists of officials who are permitted to bypass the screenings are posted at many Indian airports. When those officials are required to pass through security screenings in the US and elsewhere, that fact often makes headlines in India and is seen by some as an insult to the country," wrote Harris.
 
So, based on this, one should start exploiting others???? Bullshit !

desijat said:
What you said is true but let us look at more human angle as well. That maid was care taker of her child, being a diplomat you rome around a lot of countries and can not afford to have local care takers as your child might not learn anything due to cultural+language differences(fortunately America speaks english).

This goes for all the embassies and their staff i believe.
Click to expand...
 
Vicky bhai, Yahaan kuchh log aise chaaploos hain ki kitni bhi seedhi baat ko bhi naa samajhne ka dhong karte hain!!!! Chalo saare diplomats to badhiya salary milti ho yaa milti ho....... unko koi haq nahi ki kisi ka shoshan karein....... Itna dum hai to uss desh mein $500 per month mein naukar raakh kyu naa lete.... Shoshan aali baat ne chup chaap hazam kar jyaan sein khud ke convenience ke khatir !!!

Theek hai, maan liya ki maid was getting almost Rs50,000 per month. Lekin koi inse poochhe ki Jis desh mein rehte hain wahaan ka kanoon to maan-na padega ki nahi.... ya fir diplomat ho to rules todd doge.........Pata nahi illogical arguments likh ke log apne aap ko bahut samajhdaar maante hain log yahaan....

Once again, theek hoya uske gail - dando se pitaayi hoti uski to aur bhi badhiya hota !!! Unke jaise uske doosre colleagues ko bhi sabak milta !!! JAB INDIA KA CONSULATE HI APNE DESH KE LOGON KA SHOSHAN KAR RAHA HAI TO AMREEKA SE KYA UMEED AUR KYU ?? ISS BAARE MEIN SOCHO !!!


vicky84 said:
Foreign media on the same: Excerpts:


New York Times pointed out: "It is not unusual in India for domestic staff to be paid poorly and be required to work more than 60 hours a week; they are sometimes treated abominably. Reports of maids being imprisoned or abused by their employers are frequent," said [COLOR=#0000FF !important]Gardiner Harris[/COLOR] in his [COLOR=#0000FF !important]NYT report[/COLOR], adding, "The idea of a middle-class woman being arrested and ordered to disrobe is seen as shocking."

The newspapers also outlined how incidents of stripsearches, pat-downs and interrogations at airports have earlier made news in the country. "Top Indian officials are exempt from security screenings here, and long lists of officials who are permitted to bypass the screenings are posted at many Indian airports. When those officials are required to pass through security screenings in the US and elsewhere, that fact often makes headlines in India and is seen by some as an insult to the country," wrote Harris.
Click to expand...
 
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Ohoo... merle ek dost (jo ki navy me afsar h, eqv to Major) ki bahu birdaya kare.... ak 500 rapiye dene pade se maid ne..usne we e ghane lagge se..

arr jawab me ke argument..
ak us tahi servant quarter (ek kamre ala) de rakhya se free me > to aur ke wo unn bhi kiraye pe chaddhe tha janu, ak uske pisse atte
bijli ka bill mhaamne bharna pade se...> buddhi lugai se arr budhla maanas (ek tubelight arr pankhda le rahe se bechare bas) usme ke ghane laag jyaa se..
dry ration & saag sabji masalla dena pade se > fer wo to free ka sarkari bachda hod de se... tere ke ghar ke pisse laage se...
budhla bechara hude haspatal me lift operator se... bechare kaat rahe se dann

saari haan budlhi baalak ne khilayi jaya kare daddi ki dhaal.... ekla baalak ke ronde ki awaaj sunke jhatt de si aawe se... kade rotti-paani-chaa banvai jaya karo uspe... uske working hours te je uske khud ki rotti povan ke arr sonn ke kaadh dya to....15 ghante hain..

thaam aade baat karo angrejja ki....

india me bera na kad minimum wage act banega ruhh sarr ka...ar dhang me laagu hoga
 
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