New Delhi: As New Delhi remained firm on its demand that the US must drop the charges against Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, American Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Thursday called up Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh and discussed “specific steps” to end the row.

Sherman’s call to Singh was a follow-up to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s talks with National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon over phone late on Wednesday.

After Sherman’s talk with Singh on Thursday, sources in New Delhi said that the US had sent some positive signals to India and efforts had begun to end the diplomatic spat.

During her conversation with Singh on Thursday, Sherman is understood to have also sought to distance the American government from the statement issued by US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara.

New Delhi earlier on Thursday strongly reacted to Bharara’s statement justifying not only the case against Khobragade and the manner she was arrested and treated.
Bharara referred to Sangeeta Richard, Khobragade’s maid and the complainant against the IFS officer, as a victim.

New Delhi reacted strongly, stating that the case had only one victim and she was Khobragade.

Kerry conveyed to Menon the US government’s regret over the arrest and humiliation of Indian Foreign Service officer Khobragade in New York on December 12 last.

 This, however, could not placate an enraged New Delhi and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday went public to make it clear that India would not accept anything less than dropping the charges against the young diplomat, who had been handcuffed in public near her daughter’s school, strip-searched and locked up with sex-workers and drug-addicts.

“The case (against Khobragade) does not deserve to be pursued,” said Khurshid, adding, “Our relationship has a lot of investment…and we have to deal with it sensibly.”

Khobragade was accused of making false statements in a visa application for an Indian woman whom she took to New York to baby-sit her children. She was also accused of not paying the baby-sitter as much salary as she should have paid according to the US laws. Though she was later bailed out on US $ 250,000 bond, the IFS officer of 1999 batch had to submit her diplomatic passport to the court.

The US government initially defended the way the 39-year-old diplomat was treated after being arrested. It, however, started efforts to end the spat after New Delhi on Tuesday withdrew some of the unreciprocated courtesies extended to the US diplomats and consular officials in India.

Kerry on Wednesday told Menon that the US and India should not allow the unfortunate public issue to hurt the “close and vital relationship” between the two countries.

Though Kerry first tried to talk to Khurshid on Wednesday, the latter was not available to take the call. “I was not available when John Kerry called. We are trying to lock a time for a call this evening or may be tomorrow. Kerry is in the Philippines and there is a huge time difference,” he said. Speculation, however, is rife that the External Affairs Minister had not taken the call to convey New Delhi’s displeasure over the case against its diplomat and the way she was treated.