India removed protective barriers from around the US Embassy in New Delhi, in of apparent retaliation for the arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York City last week.  India’s government has not addressed “why” the woman was arrested, or who might be the true victim in this case.

New Delhi police used tow trucks and a backhoe to drag away long concrete blocks that had prevented vehicles from approaching the US Embassy compound at high speeds, thus thwarting the possibility of suicide car bombers.  The embassy compound still has a high wall and a host of other security measures.  Indian officials snubbed a visiting delegation of US lawmakers.

This was all apparently revenge for the 12 December arrest of Devyani Khobragade on charges of visa fraud and making false statements.  The deputy consul general at the Indian Consulate in New York was handcuffed upon arrest last week and strip-searched, before surrendering her passport and being released on $250,000 bail.  She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

According to the US State Department, Khobragade has only what is known as “consular immunity,” which applies only to acts committed in connection with official duties. 

The Indian reaction has largely been one of wounded national pride.  The Indian national security adviser, Shivshankar Menon, has called Khobragade’s treatment “despicable” and “barbaric.”  Lost in India’s response is “why” Khobragade was arrested in the first place.

Federal prosecutors say Khobragade promised her maid, an Indian national, that she would be paid the equivalent of A$5,000 a month.  But once the woman got to America, her passport was confiscated and she was told she’d be paid $573 a month.  She was forced to work far more than 40 hours a week.  And it’s not the first case of Indian diplomats were accused of abusing their domestic staff. 

In 2012 Neena Malhotra, India’s cultural and press counselor in New York was ordered to pay out nearly US$1.5 million for forcing an underaged Indian girl to work with little to no pay in their plush 43rd Street Manhattan apartment.  The girl was threatened with rape and beatings if she tried to leave the home without permission.

In 2011 Prabhu Dayal, the consul general in New York was accused of treating his domestic help as a “slave”.  Santosh Bhardwaj, the maid in question, said in her lawsuit that she was forced to work long hours for $300 a month, her passport was confiscated and she had to sleep in a storage closet.  She also alleged sexual overtures, which Dayal vehemently denied.

Devyani Khobragade claims to be a champion of women’s issues.  New Delhi has yet to express any outrage over the abuse of these brave women who faced down their abusers.