The US has appealed to India to uphold the Vienna Convention principles and ensure the safety and security of its diplomats stationed in the country. The request comes after New Delhi took a series of steps in response to the arrest and inhuman treatment of its Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade in New York last week.

Talking to reporters in Washington yesterday, the State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said, the US will continue to work with India to ensure that all of its diplomats and consular officers are being afforded full rights and protections. She said that top State Department officials, including the Deputy Secretary William Burns, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal and the US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell have been in close communications with top Indian officials in this regard.39-year-old Khobragade, arrested in New York on charges of visa fraud, was put through both strip and cavity searches and was detained with sex workers and drug addicts.

India yesterday initiated series of steps to strip US diplomats and their families of privileges including withdrawing all airport passes and stopping import clearances for the embassy. The government has asked all Consulate personnel and their families to turn in their ID cards immediately. The government has also sought information such as salaries paid to all Indian staff employed at the American consulates and to domestic helps.