Devyani Khobragade Dresses As Khmer Apsara As She Extends Greetings On Cambodian New Year

Indian Diplomat Devyani Khobragade, currently serving as India’s Ambassador to Cambodia was seen in a new avatar as she dressed up as a Khmer Apsara on the occasion of Khmer New Year (Cambodian New Year). A post shared by the Embassy of India Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the special occassion on X stated,”Ambassador Devyani Khobragade has a deep admiration for Khmer culture and tradition. Embracing the spirit of Khmer New Year, she elegantly dressed as a Khmer Apsara, embodying the rich bond of our civilizations. Wishing all our  friends a joyous Khmer New Year celebration.”

Who is Devyani Khobragade?

Devyani Khobragade, who previously served as India’s deputy consul general in the Consulate General of India in New York, was appointed as India’s Ambassador to Cambodia in 2020. Daughter of a retired IAS officer Uttam Khobragade, she was born and brought up in Mumbai and pursued an MBBS degree in Mumbai’s KEM hosiptal.

However, she took a detour in her professional life and ended up opting for foreign services after clearing her civil services exam in 1999.

During her diplomatic career, she has served in Berlin, Islamabad, Rome, and New York and even headed the capacity building and cultural or heritage projects of the Ministry of External Affairs as Joint Secretary (Development Partnership Administration) since 2019.

However, during her tenure in New York, she was caught in the epicenter of a controversy when she was charged by the U.S. authorities for committing visa fraud, providing false statements to get her domestic help, Sangeeta Richard entry into US, and also for underpaying her.

As per a report published by the Washington Post, prosecutors alleged that she was paying the nanny, who looked after two of her daughters, far less than what was set by the US government.

She was accused of paying just $3.31 an hour as opposed to the required $9.75, as stated in a federal complaint against the diplomat. However, a victim assistance organisation in New York, Safe Horion alleged that Richard worked 90-100 hours for Khobragade, according to which she earned only around $1.32 – $1.46 an hour.

Khobragade’s attorney maintained that she was not guilty of the charges of fraud against her and the contract in question pertained to the money which was to be deudcted from the helper’s salary and sent to her family back in India.

The domestic help had left the Indian diplomat’s house in June, 2013, which her lawyer stated was due to the poor working conditions. On the other hand, Khobragade’s lawyer stated that Richard had disappeared without any prior warning, the report noted.

On December 11, 2013 she was charged with willfully committing visa fraud and perjury under Title 28 of the United States Code Section 1746. She was later arrested in New York on December 12, 2013, TOI reported.

Things got ugly when Khobragade was strip-searched and jailed briefly. While incarcerated she was subjected to a treatment which the hardened criminals are subejcted to and was even held in a cell with drug addicts.

“While I was going through it, although I must admit that I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping, and cavity searches, swabbing, hold up with common criminals and drug addicts were all being imposed upon me despite my incessant assertions of immunity, I got the strength to regain composure and remain dignified thinking that I must represent all of my colleagues and my country with confidence and pride,” the TOI report stated citing an email Khobragade wrote to her collegaues after her arrest.

As the news got out it sparked massive outrage over the way the Indian diplomat was treated. People burnt effigy of President Obama and demanded that her honour as a lady diplomat be defended at any cost.

In a counterback, Indian government cut back on the privileges of US diplomats and removed concrete security barriers near the US Embassy in India. The political class also demanded an apology in addition to dropping the charges against her.

India’s external affairs minister Salman Khurshid had announced that he will not return to the Parliament until he was able to get Devyani out of the mess.

Following this controversy, India reassigned Khobragade to post in the country’s permanent mission to the UN, entitling her to full diplomatic immunity as her former post entitled her to just consular immunity.

However, she was re-indicted on the same charges after all charges against her were dismissed by Judge Shira Scheindlin in March 2014.