US Prosecuter Incharge Of The Case Against Indian Diplomate Defends Her Arrest

The United States voiced regret India over the treatment of a diplomate whose account of being stripped and cavity-searhed triggered outrage as the prosecuter incharge of the case defended the arrest. With new Delhi vowing to "restore the dignity" of, Indian media reported that 39-year-old was being moved from her post as deputy consul general in New York to the UN mission in a bid to thwart her prosecution. In a strongly worded statement, US Manhattan attornet Preet Bharara said the diplomate had "clearly tried to evade the Us law designed to protect from expoitation the domestic employees of diplomates and consular officers." Khobragade is free on bail aftrer her arrest in New York for allegedly paying a domestic worker a fraction of minimum wages and for lying about the employees salary in the visa application. Bharara who was born in India, stressed that the employee allegedly worked 'far more' than 40 hours a week in her contract and visa application. The worker is said to have been paid just $ 3.31 an hour-- well below the New York's required $7.25-- despite signing a contract to pay her three times that amount for chioldcre and other services. " Is it for the Us prosecutors to look the other way, agnore the law and rights of the victims (again here an Indian national), or is it the responsibility of diplomates, consular officers and their governments to make sure the law is observeds" Bharara said. Bharara asked," One wonders why there is so much outrage about the alleged treatment of the Indian national accused of pertetrating hese acts, but prcious little outrage about the alleged treatment of Indian victim and her spouce. In India bulldosers dragged concrete barricades that had been set up outside the Us embassy. And US consular officials have been told to returnr Identity cards that speed up travel with in anf through India, and their import clearance for duty free alcohol and other goods have been suspended. Yashwant sinha, a former BJP foreign minister said Tuesday that India now should arrest same-sex partners of US diplomats after a court ruling last week that upheld- a colonial -era ban on homosxuality. The Us will be "very concerned" should the gay diplomats be in danger.