But rights attorney says Indian diplomat shouldn't get a free pass
As the Devyani Khobragade issue drags on, a former US Government official has come down hard on the Obama administration’s handling of the case, asserting that what was once an “avoidable” crisis has now been made hard to resolve anytime soon.
“The talking point from the State Department podium has been that this case should be isolated from the broader India-US relationship. I think that that is a case of wishful thinking,” former State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said in comments to PTI, stressing that there has been “misjudgment” on the part of both Governments.
But a pro bono human rights attorney, who has been bringing cases against diplomats of various countries for domestic worker abuse, has argued that Khobragade should not get a free pass, asserting that the US Government should deny India’s bid to reaccredit her to the United Nations and ensure her full diplomatic immunity.
“Instead of acquiescing to the Indian government’s efforts to thwart justice, the US government should deny the request to reaccredit Khobragade to the United Nations,” writes the attorney, Martina E. Vandenberg, in The Washington Post, adding: “The federal criminal prosecution must be allowed to continue without regard to political expediency; anything else would send precisely the wrong message about the rule of law in the United States.”
The State Department is yet to communicate its view on the question of reaccrediting Khobragade to India’s Permanent Mission to the UN and granting her full diplomatic immunity.The UN authorities had passed on the paperwork in this regard to the State Department 10 days ago, but the department has taken the stand that it is still reviewing the matter.
Crowley faulted the Obama administration for its “flawed assumption that bringing an Indian diplomat into a New York court was not going to have an impact back home”. He sought to blame both Washington and New Delhi for missing out on opportunities to minimise the impact of the incident on public opinion in both countries.
Writing separately on the BBC website earlier, Crowley, now a professor at George Washington University's Institute of Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, commented: “Every crisis theoretically provides an opportunity. But the current diplomatic rift between the United States and India seems to be a lost opportunity to avoid a crisis.”
While terming Khobragade’s strip-search “an unforced error”, Crowley expressed the view that the arrest of a diplomat is never just another case. “In diplomatic circles, any perceived slight is reciprocated. You step on our toes, expect the same,” he said, noting that a better course for the US would have been to declare Khobragade persona non grata, demand her immediate departure and refuse further work visas for domestic help for Indian diplomats.