Indias media erupted with indignation today over the case of Krittika Biswas, the daughter of an Indian diplomat serving at the Indian Consulate General in Manhattan, who claims she was wrongfully arrested after being falsely accused of sending obscene emails to her school teacher, according to reports.
The 18-year-old was reportedly kept in custody for more than 24 hours on Feb. 8 and also was sent for more than a month to a special suspension program by her school despite being cleared by investigators. She filed a notice of claim May 6 saying that she is suing New York City, among others, for $1.5 million.
Ms. Biswas had reportedly tried to claim diplomatic immunity. But a U.S. State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, was quoted by NDTV as saying that the immunity does not extend to family members of diplomats.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in New Delhi said in an emailed statement: We are aware of press reporting regarding filing of a lawsuit by the daughter of an Indian consular officer. However we have no comment on this ongoing litigation.
The Deccan Herald reported that Krittika felt ill-treated in custody, saying: Krittika alleged that she was not allowed to use the bathroom for a long-time. It added some other unsavory details, that she couldnt drink water from a water fountain because it had another persons vomit, and although it was really cold, she could not use the blanket because it was really dirty.
In addition to the lawsuit, the girls lawyer also suggested that the Citys mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, give her a key to the freedom of the city. But Mr. Bloomberg seemed unlikely to grant the request, according to The New York Post (which, like The Wall Street Journal, is owned by News Corp.)
Ms. Biswas is gaining some support for her plight on Facebook. A group called Krittika Biswas-Price of Every Tear Will Be Paid was set up this morning. The group as of Thursday afternoon had 86 likes. But it remains to be seen what broader ramifications her case may have. We dont know if such strange kind of events will really have an impact on India-U.S. relations, said one Indian official.