Who is Devyani Khobragade?

New York, Dec 18: This is not a reminder of the news feed regarding Devyani Khobragade's arrest that is taking rounds of various media, but the fact that a bright career may just have come to an end.

Daughter of a retired IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre Uttam Khobragade, she was a bright student since her childhood. Born and brought up in Mumbai, she studied in Mount Carmel School and did her MBBS from GS medical college and KEM hospital in Mumbai. Belonging to a family of IFS officers, she chose her career in IFS, dropping medicine.

A budding IAS

After clearing her IAS examinations in 1999, she was responsible for handling the political division of the Indian Missions in Pakistan, Germany and Italy. Later, she was assigned the post of Deputy Consul General in the Indian Embassy in New York. She has shown excellence in the political division of the Indian missions in Pakistan, Germany and Italy.

She is proficient in English, Hindi, German, and her mother tongue Marathi. She was also selected for the Chevening Rolls-Royce scholarship in 2012.

Personal Life

A passionate traveller, reader, a yoga enthusiast, musician and dancer, she is also an ardent social worker. Just a few months ago, she twitted about her involvement in social service, saying "I am helping to change the way the world sees arts education. Join me in supporting Project Art." In New York, she is handling the women's rights department.

She is married to a professor and has 2 daughters-aged 3 and 6 years.

Controversies

It is not that she was marred with controversies for the first time. She is alleged to have been involved in Mumbai's Adarsh Housing society scam, 2 years ago. As per media reports, despite owning a house in Mumbai, which was allotted to her under the state government's 10 per cent quota, she got another apartment at the Adarsh in 2005-2006.

However, neither she nor her father were questioned about the same; but her father deposed before the enquiry commission of the Adarsh, saying that it was not their or their daughter's responsibility to inform the government about the apartments owned by them.