66 years after India won independence from British slave-owning and servant-exploiting colonialists, it is shocking to see how prevalent the culture and practice of employing servants is presently.

Even middle-class, upper low-caste Indians have servants. They all consider their servants as their personal property, no different from owning a bullock or dray horse.

Worse yet, along with their suitcases many Indians bring along their servants when they migrate to other countries. It's easy to spot them at Walmart and other shopping places. Indian immigrants sequester their servants' passports and other documents, and restrict their freedom of movement, freedom of association, etc.

Before you criticize $3/hr, find out if there are other perks, like free housing, food and other living needs.  In anycase, people need to be treated fairly in the workplace.

The aspect of housing, food and other items are indeed factors for consideration.

There seems to be a "tit for tat" issue between the US_of_A and India.

Issues will evolve as time progresses as were seen in the past with other countries, one of which is Russia/USSR.

Indian official says treatment of arrested diplomat in New York was 'barbaric'

By - Nirmala George, The Associated Press, The Canadian Press – 3 hours ago, Tuesday, December 17, 2013, Source

NEW DELHI - The arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York City escalated into a major diplomatic furor Tuesday as India's national security adviser called the woman's treatment "despicable and barbaric."

Devyani Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, is accused of submitting false documents to obtain a work visa for her Manhattan housekeeper. Indian officials said she was arrested and handcuffed Thursday as she dropped off her daughter at school, and was kept in a cell with drug addicts before posting $250,000 bail.

In a statement, the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Khobragade was subjected to the same booking procedures as other prisoners, including being strip searched — viewed in India as the most disturbing part of the arrest — and locked up with other female defendants.

Khobragade "was placed in the available and appropriate cell," the statement said. "Absent a special risk or separation order, prisoners are typically placed in general population," the statement said.

Earlier Tuesday, her U.S. attorney said he didn't know if she was strip-searched. Federal authorities said they were looking into the arrest.

"We understand that this is a sensitive issue for many in India," said Marie Harf, State Department deputy spokeswoman. "Accordingly, we are looking into the intake procedures surrounding this arrest to ensure that all appropriate procedures were followed and every opportunity for courtesy was extended."

Harf said that federal authorities would work on the issue with India "in the spirit of partnership and co-operation that marks our broad bilateral relationship."

"We certainly don't want this to affect the relationship," she said.

India was ready to retaliate against American diplomats in India by threatening to downgrade privileges and demanding information about how much they pay their Indian household staff, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

Police also removed the traffic barricades near the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, a demand by the Indian government in retaliation for Khobragade's treatment, PTI reported. The barriers were a safety measure.

"We got orders to remove the concrete barriers," said Amardeep Sehgal, station house officer of the Chanakyapuri police station, the one nearest the embassy. "They were obstructing traffic on the road." He refused to say who had given the orders.

Calls to the U.S. Embassy were not immediately returned Tuesday.

But Harf said the U.S. had made clear to the India government that it needs to uphold its obligations under the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations. She said the U.S. takes the safety and security of its diplomats very seriously.

National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon slammed Khobragade's treatment in New York.

"It is despicable and barbaric," he said.

Prosecutors in New York say Khobragade, 39, claimed she paid her Indian maid $4,500 per month but actually paid her less than the U.S. minimum wage. In order for diplomats and consular officers to get a visa for their personal employees, known as an A-3 visa, they must show proof that the applicant will receive a fair wage, comparable to employment in the U.S., U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement last week.

Federal prosecutors say Khobragade told the housekeeper she would be paid 30,000 rupees per month - about $573, or $3.31 per hour. The woman worked for the family from about November 2012 through June 2013, and said she worked far more than 40 hours per week and was paid even less than 30,000 rupees, prosecutors said.

Khobragade has pleaded not guilty and plans to challenge the arrest on grounds of diplomatic immunity, her lawyer said last week.

If convicted, Khobragade faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for visa fraud and five years for making a false declaration. She was arrested outside of her daughter's Manhattan school.

"We are distressed at the treatment that Dr. Khobragade has received at the hands of U.S. authorities," said her lawyer, Daniel Arshack. He said she should have diplomatic immunity.

Her case quickly became a major story in India, with politicians urging diplomatic retaliation and TV news channels showing the woman in a series of smiling family photos.

That reaction may look outsized in the United States, but the case touches on a string of issues that strike deeply in India, where the fear of public humiliation resonates strongly and heavy-handed treatment by the police is normally reserved for the poor. For an educated, middle-class woman to face public arrest and a strip search is almost unimaginable, except in the most brutal crimes.

Far less serious protocol complaints have become big issues in the past. Standard security checks in the U.S. regularly are front-page news here when they involve visiting Indian dignitaries, who are largely exempt from friskings while at home.

India's former speaker of Parliament, Somnath Chatterjee, once refused to attend an international meeting in Australia when he wasn't given a guarantee that he would not have to pass through security. Chatterjee said even the possibility of a security screening was "an affront to India."

The treatment and pay of household staff, meanwhile, is largely seen as a family issue, off-limits to the law.

The fallout from the arrest was growing. On Tuesday, Indian political leaders from both the ruling party and the opposition refused to meet with the U.S. congressional delegation in New Delhi. The Indian government said it was "shocked and appalled at the manner in which the diplomat had been humiliated" in the U.S.

Indian Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh summoned U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell to register a complaint.

Harf said as India's deputy consul general, Khobragade does not have full diplomatic immunity, but rather consular immunity from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts only with respect to acts performed in the exercise of consular functions. She said the State Department had in September notified India in writing of the allegations against Khobragade.

Harf said the department's diplomatic security team followed standard procedures during the arrest. After her arrest, Khobragade was handed over to U.S. marshals for intake and processing, and Harf said she could not comment on Khobragade's treatment at that point, or answer the allegations she was strip-searched. Harf said, however, the State Department was looking into those allegations.

Khobragade's father, Uttam Khobragade, told the TimesNow TV news channel on Tuesday that his daughter's treatment was "absolutely obnoxious."

"As a father I feel hurt, our entire family is traumatized," he said.

Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said there were "larger issues" involved in the case, but did not elaborate.

"We will deal with them in good time," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Colleen Long and Tom Hays in New York and Deb Riechmann and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

I wonder how they found about this or targeted her specifically.

This kind of underpayment is widely prevalent in NY, with some foreign workers putting in as much as 12 to 15 hours a day and the authorities turn a blind eye. But India is in an uproar, massive protests going on.

Some are still paying off family debts from generations before.

TRuth of the matter, Indians need to learn to value the services of others.  They need to pay people a fair wage for services provided.  Everyone has to find food for themselves and kids.  My son worked at an Indian restaurant and they expect to be served like kings and queens but scorn on leaving a tip.

US_of_A authorities made a gross blunder on this matter.

When the lady was brought before the Judge, he immediately released her with out rendering a decision against her or any support for the actions of the US_of_A authorities.

The issue of payment to the provider of services to the diplomat is quite clear in that the total amount were/are paid in two parts. An amount was sent directly to her husband in India and the remainder which is widely published is indeed then paid to her.

She needs to be careful, the IRS may have an issue regarding how that taxes are handled.

If the IRS indeed has an issue on how the taxes are paid, there was/is no need to arrest her.

Established procedures, whether we agree with them or not, are in place to address these types of issues.

I am not defending any body but I know that my brother-in-law has a live in maid for the last couple of years, she gets to live in the house free, eat all the meals free, has a room to herself, gets to Visit India once a year for five to six weeks, gets free medical insurance thru them, and they pay taxes so she can get social security when she reaches that age. Plus she gets to do her shopping paid by them and she receives monthly income of around $800, which she totally sends to her family in India. All her Medications are paid for by my Bro-in-law.

Now if you add the room rent, then her daily meals, her utilities, her health insurance premiums, her medications, plus one ticket to India per year, plus all her shopping, I think she is living in luxury.  She is allowed to eat or cook anything she wants. WOW.

Now I wonder if Khobragade's maid received all these things on top of her hourly salary? Although I agree with Bai Baseman that in most of Indian Restaurants people hardly want to leave any tips, what a shame? Yet they want everything to be served hot and perfect.  That is why these days in many Indian Restaurants if a party of more than 6-7 people show up they add the tips in the bill as gratuity. Last Indian restaurant we attended with a party of 6 people they added a gratuity of 20% on the total bill. We simply liked that Idea a lot.

Miss Radha,

There is a minimum wage standard in the country. Despite what perks you get, unless it is built in to your compensation, and reported as income, it has to be at least minimum wage amount.

RE: Last Indian restaurant we attended with a party of 6 people they added a gratuity of 20% on the total bill. We simply liked that Idea a lot.

I wonder what Chief would say about this slackness...20%, hmmm.

Thanks for bringing to my attention, the gratuity that was included in the total bill was 30% and not 20% as I stated earlier. My mistake.  Wish that every restaurant did that simply because all the waiters/waitresses are paid minimum wages.

The Indian Restaurant was right cuz, leave it up to Indians, they eat, drink and be merry and leave 25 cents tip.