Only 25% favor maintaining friendly ties with India.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A survey released last week regarding the Devyani Khobragade issue indicates that most US citizens favor prosecution of the Indian Deputy Consul General over alleged charges of visa fraud and making false statements regarding payment of her housemaid.
The study, put out by internet research firm YouGov, asked an unspecified sample group of American citizens which of the following three options they thought was the most important: preserving good relations with India, prosecuting a foreign diplomat for violating US law, or “it depends.”
The results say that 22% answered “it depends,” 25% said it was important to maintain friendly ties with India, while 41% said it was most important for them to see Khobragade prosecuted for breaking US laws.
The study also uncovered that 51% of Americans believe foreign diplomats should be subjected to arrest if they commit crimes on US soil, while only 45% believe the same should rule should be applied to US diplomats on foreign soil. Also, a meager 6% of Americans agree that foreign diplomats should be protected from US laws via diplomatic immunity, while 9% believe that US diplomats stationed abroad should have diplomatic immunity.
Perhaps the most startling numbers, however, deal with what crimes Americans believe foreign diplomats should be tried for. Seventy-seven percent believe that a diplomat should be prosecuted for killing someone, 51% believe they should be tried for spying, 40% for traffic violations, 38% for violating labor laws, 36% for filing falsified visa documentation, and 7% for spreading religious views.
The anti-Khobragade sentiment in the US comes as the preliminary court date is fast approaching. Khobragade is due in court on Monday, January 13, at which point the US Department of State will have to either drop the case entirely or proceed to file official charges and try the case.