Diplomat row: India tightens screws on US

New Delhi: The Indian government is contemplating looking into the violation of  visa norms by spouses of US diplomats in India.

Sources said it had come to the government’s notice that the wives and spouses of some American diplomats had taken up “teaching jobs in American embassy schools without official clearance from India”.

Sources said taking jobs without such clearance was a violation of both visa and income-tax norms. Under the existing laws, the spouse of a diplomat who is “engaged in gainful employment ... needs government clearance, failing which they can be charged with visa and tax violations”.

The Centre had earlier sought visa and other details of the staff working in US embassy schools. Spouses of many US diplomats teach in US embassy or consulate schools.

Visa rule violation to embarrass US

The mere fact that its diplomats’ spouses are working in violation of visa terms is likely to be a cause for “embarrassment” for the US government. If need be, the government can even go and declare the diplomat persona non grata, sources said.

But even as the Indian government decided to throw the rulebook at Americans here if need be, speculation is also rife that a quiet understanding is being worked out by both nations to resolve the controversy that has erupted following Ms Khobragade’s humiliation by the authorities in New York last week.

While the United States has so far refused to withdraw the charges against Ms Khobragade, India is hopeful that she will soon be granted full diplomatic immunity given her new assignment at India’s permanent mission at the United Nations. Full immunity will, incidentally, protect her from the charges levelled against her by the New York district attorney.

On Friday, the posturing continued through the day with foreign secretary Sujatha Singh criticising the US over the diplomat’s humiliation. “You do not treat an Indian diplomat in this manner, whether its in the US or any other country,” she said on the sidelines of a function.

She added: “We expect our diplomat to be given exactly the same courtesies we extend to American diplomats or the diplomats of any other country.”

On the other hand, the US state department said Friday that there was “no question of withdrawing the charges against her”. Nor did it give any indication that it would apologise over the issue as demanded by India.

Parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath  said nothing short of a full apology would be accepted by India. But some in the government felt the US expressing “regret” over the issue might be adequate.

As discussions continued through Friday between the officials of both sides to resolve the spat, external affairs minister Salman Khurshid struck a mellow note in contrast to his remarks in the past two days. “We are going to find a solution, and I hope we will find a solution,” he said in response to questions by reporters. He also described India-US ties as a “valuable relationship between the two countries”.

While India and the US continue to discuss specific steps needed to resolve their differences, New Delhi has made it clear it is going through with measures initiated to curb the privileges given to American diplomats.

Starting Friday, US diplomats and their families in India will not be able to avail the special treatment given them at airports, with the deadline seeking submission of their airport passes having expired on Thursday night. The deadline to provide the Indian government details of the salary and other details of Indian employees at the US embassy and consulates ends on Monday.

“The MLAs had given their feedback on the basis of the response they received from their respective constituencies,” a source said.