Replication of UPA govt's action against US Mission

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New Delhi, March 22

The removal of extra security barricades outside the UK High Commission on Wednesday is a replication of the action taken by the previous UPA government targeting the US Mission about a decade ago.

The retaliation was not restricted to the removal of barriers after India’s Deputy Consul General in New York Devyani Khobragade was arrested and strip searched by the US authorities on visa fraud charges as she was dropping her daughter to school.

In addition to removing the security equipment around the US Embassy, the Ministry of External Affairs also undertook several steps to strip US diplomats and their families of privileges. These included asking them to immediately surrender their special airport passes and stopping all duty-free import clearances.

The government had stopped the screening of movies in a special theatre on the Embassy premises and sought a complete list of all Indian nationals working with its consulates, copies of their contracts, bank accounts, salaries and PAN. It had also enquired whether spouses of diplomats were teaching in the American school without a work visa.

Sources in the present government have also indicated that action will not stop at removing the security barriers and withdrawing a special PCR van posted near the British High Commission.

The UPA government’s action was also not immediate but spread over nearly a month. After Khobargade safely returned to India, the MEA had asked the US to withdraw a diplomat from its embassy in New Delhi.