The diplomatic row between India and the United States over the arrest of Indian diplomat is a sad development for the future of Indo-US relations. The crisis got triggered with the sudden arrest and temporary detention in New York on 11 December this year of Devyani Khobragade, an Indian deputy consul general, on the charge of visa fraud and false statements in connection with household employee’s visa application. Such a bizarre behavior on the part of US authorities is unbecoming of a great power and it sets bad precedent for the diplomats of other countries posted in Washington or New York. More civilized behavior is expected from Washington, which needs to come out of its Cold War mind-set and cowboy mentality.
