Drop charges against Devyani, says new envoy

India’s new envoy S Jaishankar on Friday met top US officials and sought withdrawal of charges against Devyani Khobargade even as the State Department said it was looking into the issue of full diplomatic immunity said to have been enjoyed by the diplomat at the time of her arrest.

Jaishankar, who conveyed India’s strong protest over the arrest of Khobargade, also strongly objected to the manner in which the US government evacuated Indian citizens.Immediately after presenting copies of his credentials to the Office of Chief of Protocol, he met the Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Under Secretary for Management Patrick F Kennedy of the State Department.

Both the meetings were dominated by the issue of the arrest in New York early this month of 39-year-old Khobragade, who was the Deputy Consul General in New York. She was later transferred to the United Nations in a bid to give her full diplomatic immunity.