Indian diplomat Devyana Khobragrade was recently arrested and strip searched, by the United States. India is in an uproar over this incident, and many have reportedly burned effigies of President Obama. However, is this called for? Many Indian politicians have refused to meet with American Delegations, and are mercilessly attacking the American Government, as well as America itself. This, I think is hypocritical, uncalled for, and ridiculous.
When you look online, you will find dozens of articles stating how Khobragrade was mistreated at the hands of American Officials. What you will fail to find, however, is the fact that Khobragrade was not arrested for no reason. She was arrested because of her failure to comply with minimum wage laws. She had been paying her maid $3 an hour, to work 7 days a week, from dusk till dawn. In India, the people are outraged about important and influential persons being given preferential treatment. Yet, at the same time, these same hypocrites are rioting in the streets because their diplomat was arrested and searched by the American Authorities. This woman was in clear violation of the laws. I understand how Diplomatic Immunity could be used to argue against her case, but the Vienna Codes specifically state that these immunities can be waived if there is a case of a serious crime, or a crime unrelated to the diplomatic relationship. So how can they expect us to give this woman preferential treatment simply because of the fact that she's a diplomat? Instead of being outraged about the maid, the Indian people are more concerned about the arrest. The real issue here, is the maid being abused and taken advantage of. Furthermore, it is evident when you look at India's current political situation, that this is all a political ploy to show that India indeed, is a world superpower, and to prove to the world that it can stand up to the almighty United States. How about India starts standing up to the rapists, murderers, and criminals in their own country. I find this political warmongering disgusting. Furthermore, according to numerous sources, Diplomat Khobragrade was actually given far better treatment than the average American citizen. Now one might ask, wasn't she strip searched. The answer is yes, but this search was done in private, with one female marshal conducting the search. This is standard procedure. And I'd also like to reiterate again and again, this search was not conducted on the basis of racism, prejudice, or any other unjust reason. This search was carried out because this woman broke the law. When in America, this woman must be expected to follow American laws. She should not be given any sort of leniency because of the fact that she is a diplomat.
As you can probably tell, I have a pretty strong opinion on this topic. I do not believe that India has any basis nor reason for being angry at the United States. What has happened is fair, just, and standard procedure. If you break the law, you will be held accountable, and prosecuted accordingly. This shall remain the same regardless of ones social status, wealth, or power. So on that note, I'd like to reference a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. "Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both"
Take Care,
Political Police
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