India and the United States finally resolved diplomatic furor over Devyani Khobragade case after the federal grand jury in Manhattan indicted her and asked her to leave the country on Thursday. The diplomat headed for India on Friday after she was given full diplomatic immunity by the U.S.
Khobragade was arrested for alleged visa deception and for lying about not paying her domestic help adequately. For almost a month, the case had stained US-India relationship with both parties not relenting from their stand.
According to a report by New Delhi television (NDTV), the 39-year-old diplomat was granted a G1 visa by the U.S., which gives her full diplomatic immunity. On India’s request the U.S. government accredited her to the United Nations, which confers broader immunity.
Before leaving the U.S., Khobragade said she is innocent. “All charges against me are false and baseless,” the report said.
On Friday, Khobragade’ father said in a televised news conference that she had been vindicated.
“Devyani left [the] U.S. soil with full diplomatic immunity, vindicating the stance that whatever dispute has been raised in the U.S. is a prerogative of the sovereign country of India,” said her father, Uttam Khobragade, a retired bureaucrat.
Associated Press has contributed to this report.
