(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
India has called on the United States to address what it calls unequal arrangements regarding immunity and privileges granted to diplomats.
The call follows a row over the arrest and strip-search of India's deputy consul general in New York last month.
Nikki Canning has the details.
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Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was arrested in December on charges of visa fraud and lying to US authorities about what she paid her housekeeper.
Amid protests in India, she was eventually granted immunity from prosecution over the charges, but was then effectively expelled from the US.
India retaliated, sharply curbing privileges offered to US diplomats and asking the US to withdraw a diplomat from New Delhi.
India's ambassador to the United States S. Jaishankar's says the case of Devyani Khobragade was handled "appallingly" by the US.
But he says the US remains probably India's most important ally, and it's important to avoid any further such cases.
"I think this particular issue needs to be resolved and the particular issue is, where do we stand vis-a-vis immunities and privileges between our two countries. We can't have an unequal arrangement. We can't have one country granting more and the other country granting less. I think we need to have an understanding on this."
Mr Jaishankar says India is puzzled by the behaviour of US authorities in the case of Devyani Khobragade.
"We are perplexed by what happened. Obviously, in terms of the relationship, we are distressed by what is happeneing, but I think it would also be fair to say that there was a fair measure of anger about both the substance of the problem as well as how it was handled."
India and the United States cooperate on a wide range of issues including counter-terrorism, regional security and defence.
India is also a major market for US weapons.
Author and defence analyst Maroof Raza says the incident must prompt a review of the bilateral relationship.
"The Devyani episode has come as a serious reality check for Washington and New Delhi, that clearly things are not as hunky dory (okay) as both sides had thought and there is a need to revisit the relationship."
The Times of India reports that Devyani Khobragade is now likely to stay put in India for some time, with a new role working on administration of India's overseas aid programs.
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