|
 Police and the Indian franchise of the U.S. chain said no-one was
hurt in the attack, which came amid unrelenting rage in India over
the arrest and subsequent strip-search of Devyani Khobragade for
visa fraud and under-payment of her housekeeper.
India has demanded that the charges be dropped against the diplomat
and her father threatened to start a fast if U.S. authorities
pressed ahead with the case.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed regret over the case in
a phone call to India's national security adviser this week, but
U.S. prosecutors have defended the investigation against Khobragade
and her treatment.
Police in Mumbai said they were stepping up patrolling of major U.S.
outlets including McDonald's after workers of the small Republican
Party of India attacked the Dominos store. The group sent pictures
to media organizations showing a broken glass door.
"The fact is that (the) American authorities have behaved
atrociously with an Indian diplomat. And obviously, America has to
make good for its actions," said Manish Tiwari, minister for
information and broadcasting.
"So therefore, I think it is a legitimate expectation, that if they
have erred, and they have erred grievously in this matter, they
should come forth and apologize."
Khobragade was arrested last week and released on $250,000 bail
after giving up her passport and pleading not guilty to charges of
visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her
housekeeper. She faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted
on both counts.
The U.S. Justice Department confirmed that Khobragade was
strip-searched after her arrest. A senior Indian government source
has said the interrogation also included a cavity search, although
U.S. officials have denied this.
"I want these false and fabricated charges to be dropped," said
Uttam Khobragade, the diplomat's father, adding that he would go on
a hunger strike if his demands aren't met. "That will be my last
option."
Protesters also gathered at the U.S. consulate in Hyderabad for a
second day on Friday, shouting slogans, local media said.
Furious that one of its foreign service officers had been handcuffed
and treated like "a common criminal", India on Tuesday removed
security barriers outside the U.S. embassy in New Delhi and withdrew
some privileges from U.S. diplomats.
[to top of second column] |
But the reaction was even more intense because none of the political
parties preparing for next year's election wanted to be seen as weak
against a superpower.
Politicians, including the leaders of the two main parties, refused
to meet a delegation of visiting U.S. lawmakers.
"Because of the election, they will try to outdo each other," said
Neerja Chowdhury, a political analyst and a former political editor
of Indian Express newspaper.
"They don't want to be seen as weak on the issue when the mood in
the country is one of huge anger about this."
The party that runs India's most populous Uttar Pradesh state urged
Khobragade to stand for parliament, highlighting how public outrage
has turned the case into a battleground for votes.
"Whatever happened with her is condemnable," said Azam Khan, the
state's urban development minister, according to media reports. "If
she returns to India, we are ready to give her a ticket for the 2014
polls."
Breathless and indignant coverage by Indian TV news channels has
added to a sense that national pride has been wounded.
There has been little focus, however, on the predicament of the
housekeeper, whose lawyer says was denied her wages, underpaid and
now feels it would be unsafe to return to India.
"One wonders why there is so much outrage about the alleged
treatment of the Indian national accused of perpetrating these acts,
but precious little outrage about the alleged treatment of the
Indian victim and her spouse," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara
said in a statement on Wednesday.
(Additional reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar and Nandita Bose in
Mumbai; writing by Sanjeev Miglani; editing by Nick Macfie)
[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
