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Govt protests detention of Indians in Amsterdam
The 12 freed Indians have already left for home and would be in Mumbai by Friday night.
The Dutch Ambassador to India was on Friday summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs apparently to convey the government's unhappiness over the arrest and detention of 12 Indians in Amsterdam for allegedly suspicious behaviour in a Mumbai-bound flight.
Hours after the Mumbai residents were released by the Dutch authorities, Dutch Ambassador Eric Niehe was called to the foreign office by Secretary UC Tripathy who conveyed the Centre's stand on the matter.
The 12 freed Indians have already left for home and would be in Mumbai by Friday night.
"Our (Indian government's) views have been conveyed at the highest level to the Dutch government. Our External Affairs Ministry officials have been in touch with the Dutch government at the highest level. Our Ambassador (in The Hague) was also in touch with them.
"Our officials here summoned the Dutch Ambassador," External Affairs Minister of State Anand Sharma said.
He said that government has sought a report from the Indian Ambassador in The Hague and once that came the entire issue would be analysed.
Rejecting criticism of the government's handling of the issue, Sharma said that the moment it came to know about the detention of the 12 Indians, the official machinery worked fast and got them out of detention in 30 hours.
He also said that consular access was provided to the Indians much ahead of the 48 hours stipulated in the Vienna Convention in such a situation.
