Devyani Khobragade case: US must do something, says External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid

Keeping up the pressure on the US, Mr Khurshid said today that "they must do something".

Mr Khurshid, however, sought to ease the crisis, saying the episode should not be allowed to derail "the valuable relationship" between the world's two largest democracies.

But when told the US State Department had welcomed his remarks, Mr Khurshid told the Press Trust of India news agency, "They (the US) must do something. Welcoming is not enough."

Mr Khurshid had said on Friday that he hoped the "valuable relationship" with Washington would soon return to an even keel, remarks that he repeated on Saturday. (Read: India, US don't want ties to be spoilt by one incident, says Salman Khurshid)

Pointing to Mr Khurshid's comment, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday, "We certainly fully agree that it's important to preserve and protect our partnership. It's not just about diplomatic ties. We have over $90 billion (more than Rs 5 lakh crore) in bilateral trade. We're supporting thousands of jobs in both of our countries."

The crisis was sparked by the arrest of Ms Khobragade on December 12, over accusations that she underpaid her domestic help Sangeeta Richard.

Subsequent revelations that Ms Khobragade was strip-searched and subjected to an invasive body search caused outrage in India, which wants Washington to drop the case and offer an apology. (Domestic worker governed by our laws: India tells US)

The US and India have been holding a series of talks to try to draw a line under the crisis, while US Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed "regret" over the episode.

Ms Khobragade, a mother of two, is now free on bail. According to New York authorities, she was paying the domestic help a third of the figure mentioned in the visa application.

India is trying to secure stronger diplomatic immunity for Ms Khobragade by shifting her to its UN mission in New York, although such a move needs State Department approval. (Read: India asks UN to accord immunity to Devyani Khobragade)