Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) An Indian diplomat posted in China was ill-treated in a court near Shanghai, triggering a strong protest from New Delhi, which summoned a Chinese diplomat to the ministry of external affairs to convey its displeasure.

According to reports, S. Balachandran — posted in the Indian consulate in Shanghai and a diabetic — was Dec 31 forced to attend a five-hour hearing in support of two Indian traders at China’s Yiwu city near Shangai.

The court did not allow him to attend to his medical condition and prevented him from leaving the courtroom despite repeated requests that he suspected rapid fluctuation in his blood sugar levels.

The 46-year-old diplomat had to admitted to a hospital later after his condition deteriorated, sources in the ministry of external affairs said here, noting that he was recuperating now.

Aghast at the treatment meted out to its diplomat, India summoned Zhang Yue, deputy chief of the Chinese mission in New Delhi, Monday and communicated its displeasure over the treatment meted out to Balachandran.

“We have strongly protested the incident involving Balachandran. We have communicated our concern to the Chinese official from their embassy here. We have told them this is not the way diplomats should be treated,” Indian diplomatic sources said.

Emerging from South Block after meeting a director-level officer in the external affairs ministry, Zhang told waiting reporters that he listened to what the Indian officials had to say about the incident and that Chinese authorities were now trying to find out what had “exactly happened” to the Indian diplomat in the Yiwu city court.

“Both the governments will handle this issue properly. This seems to be civil-commercial dispute. We will do our best to handle this properly,” Zhang added.

Apart from summoning the Chinese embassy official in New Delhi, the Indian Consul General in Shanghai and Indian embassy officials in Beijing too lodged their protests with Chinese authorities over the incident, diplomatic sources, who did not want to be named, said.

According to reports reaching here, Balachandran had gone to the court to obtain the release of two Indian traders, who were being held by local traders in connection with a trade dispute in Yiwu, one of the largest centres for commodities trading.

The two traders are still in the custody of the Chinese authorities and the court hearing will continue, the sources added.