M A I N   N E W S

India: US stand on diplomatic immunity wrong

New York, May 28
Indian Consul General in New York has said the US State Department is wrong in its reading of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and asserted that diplomatic immunity is extended to family members of consular officers.

Prabhu Dayal was speaking in the backdrop of the controversy raging about whether Krittika Biswas, the daughter of the Vice Counsel General in New York, had diplomatic immunity that protected her against arrest.

"The rulebook is here," Dayal told PTI. "They should not have arrested her."

Biswas (18), who claims she was wrongfully arrested on suspicion of sending obscene e-mails to her teacher, is suing the New York City government for $ 1.5 million. Earlier this week, Mark Toner, US State Department deputy spokesperson, said immunity enjoyed by consular officials does not extend to Biswas. — PTI