NEW DELHI: Indian protesters ransacked a Dominos Pizza outlet in a Mumbai suburb, demanding a ban on US goods as officials from the two countries struggled to defuse a row over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.
Police and the Indian franchise of the US 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 US authorities pressed ahead with the case.
US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed regret over the case in a phone call to India’s national security adviser this week, but US prosecutors have defended the investigation against Khobragade and her treatment.
Police in Mumbai said they were stepping up patrolling of major US 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 US 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 US officials have denied this.
Police and the Indian franchise of the US 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 US authorities pressed ahead with the case.
US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed regret over the case in a phone call to India’s national security adviser this week, but US prosecutors have defended the investigation against Khobragade and her treatment.
Police in Mumbai said they were stepping up patrolling of major US 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 US 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 US officials have denied this.
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