News

Devyani Khobragade India has taken up with the United States a fact that gives a new twist to the Devyani Khobragade case: she had full diplomatic status at the time of her arrest in New York on December 12 on visa fraud charges. This discovery could provide a way out of the stalemate between India and the U.S. over the court case against Ms. Khobragade and the seizure of her travel documents, sources here suggested. Talks between the two sides are on hold for the Christmas vacation in the U.S. Meanwhile, India has enforced “reciprocity” on U.S. consulate staff here by insisting they have access only to those privileges that are extended to Indian consular staff posted in the U.S. At the time she was taken into custody on December 12, Ms. Khobragade, in addition to being Deputy Consular-General at the Indian Consulate in New York (a rank the U.S. said did not entitle her to immunity), had been an “Advisor” to India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations since August 26.

The Hindu Aruna Bahaguna. National Police Academy, the Hyderabad-based alma mater for IPS officers in the country, could soon get a woman chief for the first time in its history. Aruna Bahuguna, a 1979-batch IPS officer, is tipped to be appointed as the new director of the 65-year-old institution, also known as the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), which is tasked with the training of police leaders. Ms. Bahuguna (56), who belongs to the Andhra Pradesh cadre, is at present posted as the Special Director General in the country’s largest paramilitary force, CRPF, at its headquarters in the national capital. The orders for Ms. Bahuguna’s appointment as the new director of the academy would be issued soon, sources said. The officer, who has served in various positions with Andhra Pradesh police, also holds the distinction of being the first woman SDG in CRPF. She is the second-in-command of the 3 lakh strong force, after the DG.