Officials in India have transferred to the United Nations the diplomat arrested on charges of paying her maid below the minimum wage and lying on the maid’s visa application.
The NY Times reports its an attempt to qualify her for diplomatic immunity, something the United States has refused to grant the deputy consul general of the Indian embassy in New York.
It remains unclear whether the transfer will work in getting the charges dropped by the United States.
Devyani Khobragade has been at the center of firestorm since her arrest. Some Indians angry that she was strip searched and treated as a common criminal have rioted outside a Dominos Pizza in Mumbai.
South Asian Americans have spoken out on behalf of the maid, Sangeeta Richard. They point to the low wages and abuse domestic workers world wide can sometimes face. They’ve launched a hash tag #StandWithSegeeta and organized demonstrations on behalf of Sangeeta and other domestic workers across the United States.
A poll taken by Boston-based INE Media found a majority of Indian Americans think the arrest of Khobragade was justified.