Earlier, a senior officer was sent to Wellington to work out a smooth passage for Dogra. But the latter refused to obey orders and dug his heels in.
NEW DELHI: Harish Dogra, India’s high commissioner in New Zealand, has been stripped of his diplomatic accreditation. This means he is no longer South Block’s man in Wellington. He has been replaced by KP Ernest, currently additional secretary in the external affairs ministry.
The government took the unprecedented action late on Tuesday night. The announcement was made on Wednesday.
Earlier, a senior officer was sent to Wellington to work out a smooth passage for Dogra. But the latter refused to obey orders and dug his heels in.
The external affairs ministry has informed New Zealand’s high commissioner in New Delhi of its decision to divest Dogra of his position. Dogra will now have to apply for a fresh personal visa from the New Zealand government if he wants to stay on there.
The public spat has hurt the ministry’s image. Some believe South Block could have handled it better by quietly getting Dogra out of Wellington. But others disagree. “What can the ministry do to avoid a public spat when one of its senior officers decides to defy his own government?” said Hamid Ansari, ex-diplomat.
“When an officer is unwilling to take instructions from his superiors, action has to be taken in any organisation, public or private. It’s a matter of shame that the officer refused to oblige and forced the ministry to crack the whip.”
Dogra was recalled on March 1 after some allegations were made against him by members of the local Indian community. Instead of packing his bags, Dogra went on the offensive, writing a nine-page letter to Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and releasing it to the media.
In the letter, he charged Saran with “impropriety” and “contravening human rights”. He said the secretary’s “so-called nephew”, also working in the Wellington mission, had made false charges against him and got him recalled.
“The man misbehaved comprehensively, and the government decided to recall him, there was no other option,” said Deb Mukherjee, a retired ambassador. Mukherjee pointed out that once he had handed over charge it was incorrect for Dogra to have remained in New Zealand. An ambassador is his government’s voice in a foreign land, and he cannot take his duties lightly.
Dogra handed over charge to his deputy last week. He has three years to go for retirement. The question before the ministry is, what next? Will Dogra be forced to come away or will he get some human rights group in New Zealand to take up his case?
It has been a cruel April for the ministry. Rakesh Kumar, secretary in the Foreign Service, is being investigated by the CBI on charges of human trafficking. Both men have gone on leave.
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