US: Charges Against Indian Diplomat Will Not Be Dropped

Tensions continue

In her first public statement in the two-week-old India-US spat over the treatment of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York, the US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell Tuesday said she regretted the circumstances of Khobragade's arrest even as officials in America indicated charges against the IFS officer would not be withdrawn.

Powell's statement, which was weaved into her new year's message, was seen as an attempt to assuage India's concerns as the furore over the alleged mistreatment of Khobragade has soured relations.

New Delhi responded by saying it would communicate with Washington through the designated channel, the State Department in this case, and that it remained serious about pursuing misuse of diplomatic privileges by US diplomats in India.