Outrage over US action against Indian diplomat

Karimnagar: Hundreds of civil society members led by Dr Vyakaranam Nageshwar came out on the street in support of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, whose arrest has sparked off row between India and the USA.

Expressing outrage at the treatment meted out to the diplomat by the US government, the civil society members including rights activist Kapilavai Ravinder, Dr Sudheer, B. Dilip Naik, Satish kumar and hundreds of women marched to the martyrs memorial, holding anti-US placards.

With the placards, the protesters condemned the US government’s action with statements like ‘American aggression down down,’ ‘Shameless America’, and ‘Big brother, you have no right to humiliate Indian woman.’

While protesting the manner in which Devyani was arrested, handcuffed, stripped and searched despite enjoying diplomatic immunity, the civil society members staged a brief rasta roko.

“If the US government does not stop such mindless act, there will a mass movement across India against American goods and products,” said Dr Vyakaranam Nageshwar, adding that the US government’s act exhibited their racial bias against Indian women.

Taking potshots at the US, human rights activist Kapilavai Ravinder said that the US government had a poor track record when it came to respecting human rights of nationals of other countries, especially the ones it had waged wars against.

“If a senior IFS cadre official is treated so badly, what would be the fate of common women in America,” he questioned.

However, without going into the merits of the case, noted economist and Kakatiya University Prof. Emeritus Kurapati Venkatanarayana, who did not take part in the civil society led protest, sought to draw the attention towards the issue of underpayment of wages

“When there is surplus manpower, it automatically leads to their exploitation,” said Prof. Venkatanarayana, adding that underpayment of wages is rampant across several unorganised sectors in India.

Meanwhile, Karimnagar town witnessed massive protests by followers across party lines. The members of the Youth Congress burned the effigy of the USA at Telangana Chowk here on Wednesday condemning the handcuffing of Indian diplomat in public after arresting while she was dropping her daughter at school in New York on Thursday.

Expressing concern over the incident, district Youth Congress president Nikhil Chakravarthi said that the act had reflected America’s despotic attitude.

“America has insulted our country’s diplomat by not respecting her with minimum dignity. She was made to sit aside of sex workers,” alleged Srinivas Goud.