New Delhi: More than 12 years after India removed security barricades outside the US Embassy in New Delhi, the episode is being talked about again this time after the deaths of three Indian sailors in a US military operation in the Gulf of Oman.
The barricades were removed in December 2013 after the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York. Her detention and reported strip search triggered outrage across India, with politicians cutting across party lines calling the treatment unacceptable.
In a rare show of diplomatic anger, the Indian government responded with several measures against US diplomats. The most visible was the removal of security barricades outside the American embassy, a move widely seen as a message that New Delhi was not willing to let the issue pass quietly.
The 2013 episode has resurfaced in public discussion because many are comparing it with India’s response to the recent deaths of three Indian sailors. While New Delhi has protested strongly and sought answers from Washington, some observers have pointed to the tougher public stance taken during the Khobragade row.
The circumstances are different and India-US relations today are much closer than they were a decade ago. Even so, the image of workers dismantling barricades outside the US Embassy remains one of the most memorable moments in the history of India-US diplomatic tensions and a reminder of how quickly a single incident can reshape the conversation between two partners.
ALSO READ: US Navy Rescues Members From An Indian Sinking Ship