A US diplomat in New Delhi was headed for home Saturday after being expelled in a bitter row over an Indian envoy’s arrest that has seriously strained ties between the two countries.

A US diplomat in New Delhi was headed for home Saturday after being expelled in a bitter row over an Indian envoy's arrest that has seriously strained ties between the two countries.

The US embassy official's expulsion was splashed over newspaper front pages along with photos of the Indian diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, arriving in New Delhi late Friday.

The United States said late Friday it "deeply regrets" India's expulsion of the US embassy official and wanted to mend a partnership that Washington hopes could be a fortification against China's growing might.

Ties between two states have frayed since December 12 when Khobragade, India's deputy consul-general in New York, was arrested on charges of visa fraud involving her domestic servant.

But shortly before her US grand jury indictment Thursday, Washington granted the Indian officer - who has denied all charges - full diplomatic immunity, allowing her to return.

As the diplomat was flying back to New Delhi, India announced it had asked Washington to withdraw an embassy official in a fresh retaliatory measure.

With general elections due by May, politicians have pounced on US actions calling them a violation of national sovereignty and saying the United States should not be allowed to ride roughshod over Indian interests.