Shah Rukh Khan frisked! Interrogated. Earlier, in a case of protocol breach, our former President Abdul Kalam was frisked by an American Airlines officials IN INDIA! Still earlier, Mammooty, like SRK, ran into trouble with the immigration officials in the USA on account of his name.
But the worst was the strip frisking of George Fernades TWICE when HE WAS THE DEFENCE MINISTER of India
And the strategy is the same each time. The immigration frisks, or grills the passangers for hours. The Indian embassy is able to get through to the immigration only after the Indian citizen is frisked to the satisfaction of the airlines or interrogated to their hearts content and certified as safe to enter the USA, and is allowed to leave the airport. India lodges complaints and the US mouths platitudes.
And we Indians become hopping mad. And rightly so.
Hey? Why rightly so?
Given that outcome of all this frisking and stripping and grilling is that there have been no terror attacks on the US soil after 9/11, don’t you think it is worth it, this tacit understanding between the US Internal Security and the immigration officials at the airport to frisk God Almighty himself if He should descend at the US airports?
So, instead of cribbing, India should do what Ambika Soni suggested – return the comnpliment. Be it Bush or Mr. & Mrs. Clinton or Brangelinas or America’s King Khans – go ahead and frisk away to glory. Strip frisk those with names we don’t like. Surely the US cant complain. WE can always say, “How do we know they are not running errands for the CIA, or not carrying hash worth crores in their suit linings?”
Instead of raising such a hue and cry, India should take a leaf out of the American Internal Security practices and be ruthless in implementing them.
No. Not tit for tat. But emulating an uncompromising attitude when it comes to the internal security of the nation.
For that we owe no explanation to anyone.
Thanks a ton for this write-up..Was getting really disturbed by the hoolah regarding this subject,your words speaks what my mind was going thoruhg..Instead of making such a hoo-haa about this issue,i guess it would be much better off if we started implementing such strict measure before a next Sanjay Dutt creeps up..
ReplyDelete:D nice post...
ReplyDeleteIndia should take a leaf out of the American Internal Security practices and be ruthless in implementing them.
ReplyDeleteYou've taken the words out of my mouth! Exactly my thoughts.
It is a matter of worry that there exists a green channel for many undeserving personalities including some human-gods.. does anyone realize how much we are compromising on the passenger safety by and national security through these unwanted 'privileges'?
my wife and her team were sent back from US after such an incident, as soon as they landed there (several years before). those guys that time were concerned about losing their jobs to foreigners and heavily prejudiced.. they do this crap to many asians, brown-black skinned, weirdly named... the list goes on..
ReplyDeleteWhen you become the victim of special interrogation because of your religion you may feel different.
ReplyDeleteUSA never had a foreign terrorist attack on its soil before 9/11. Was the frisking as efficient then? To stop terrorism will you say that India should start a Gauntanamo Bay or pass a Patriot act? Will you support bombing of countries which you feel may harbor terrorists ?
Few months ago my friend, a doctor with a Muslim name was detained in JFK for 3 hours while I was allowed to pass through without any trouble. He missed the tour bus and had to spend about 6000 Rs to reach our Hotel. You try to say this to him.
I wish the officials in charge of detaining Muslim named individuals in USA be bold enough to say that they are interrogating them because of their religion. Why hide behind the excuse of computer derived list of names? Why this hypocrisy?
I totally agree.I somehow suspect its some kind of publicity stunt for his new movie which ironically runs in the same subject line.
ReplyDeleteAnd we should take it as a lesson in strengthening our security checks instead of competing with some country as a payback
But I also have to say there is xenophobia with atleast a considerable majority of Americans.They are so clueless about the outside world.And this might be the reason which is leading to these undesirable circumstances..And ofcourse Indian media has the knack to blow it up larger than life.
I hear a lot about "we offer them super treatment when they come to India". Frankly everyone who comes over including Indian who return from overseas can well pay their own way and look after themselves. Nobody asks for those favours, not in the least andin fact they are irritating and gets in the way of doing real Business. Indians should know that since they realize accepting anything free comes with a later heavy price tag. All the garland etc for all and sundry without reason is downright stupid. The foreign offcials are paid daily allowances and they expect to spend it. They dont arrive expecting the host nation to pay unless it is a top prvilege invitation. I have seen common Indians end up in the states and expecting to be state guests. Frankly the only ones who are going to complain when the stricter terms you mention come about will be Indians themselves
ReplyDeleteAmericans can be blamed for being paranoid. We can be accused of our 'sab chalta hai' attitude even when it comes to security. Which of these is better or worse is a matter of opinion. Mine is that being paranoid is better than being callously indifferent.
ReplyDeleteIn the US, if terrorism has not raised its ugly head after 9/11, it is because they have beefed up the security. How about India? We have had repeated strikes because the gaping holes in our security system have not been plugged.
When you visit a country, you are subject to their rules. If you carry chewing gum in your baggage to Singapore, a hefty fine is slapped on you. If you are caught with drugs in Singapore, no explanations are asked - you walk to the gallows.
USA is their country, they have their rules and if we want to go there, we have to abide by them. Just as they have to obey Indian rules when they come here. If we do not force they to obey our rules, it is because of our 'gora' complex and you cannot expect them to bend their rules or return the favour.
If you do not want to be governed by their rules, the way out is not to travel to America, rather than seethe with 'righteous indignation'.
Some time ago APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked, that too in New Delhi.
ReplyDeleteThen madame KPJ was silent. Perhaps she didn't know about the incident. Time to change your newspaper, perhaps?
Had this Khan been a foreigner-terrorist landing in India [at any of the Kerala airports], a Rs. 25000/- bribe would have seen his being obsequiously escorted out of the airport, as first-out passenger.
ReplyDeleteYou may like to read this article by Shashi Tharoor on the security procedures at US Airports.
ReplyDeleteThe link is http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shashi-tharoor/air-farce_b_155363.html
I dont know the details of what the secondary inspection was about. So I'm unable to form an opinion. I would not be surprised if Shahrukh Khan's name, ethnicity, etc was a factor. At the same time, secondary inspection is not unusual. The VIP culture is kind of nonexistent when it comes to matters like this in the US. An Indian immigration attorney in New York was telling me that other than the US president and maybe vice president, everyone goes thru security unlike in India where there is a long list of VIPs who are exempt. He said in his many travels, he has therefore seen governors and senators standing in the general line, taking their shoes off etc and one instance when the (now former) governor of new york, Eliot Spitzer, was pulled aside for secondary inspection. Spitzer is one of the country's best known governors, kind of a celebrity, was a possible presidential candidate. So while fully taking into consideration the possibility of racial discrimination, I reserve my judgment till I know enough of the details. Not just in this instance but in any instance. The Hindu has an editorial to this effect called VVIPs and security procedures.
ReplyDelete@ anita
ReplyDeletethanks for the input.glad we see eye to eye on this issue:-)
@ stoic
i doubt. am not that cynical.
@ anonymous
madame kpj had a housefull guests those days:-)
@ wannabe
i agree with u that beefed up security keeps away terror attacks from american soil. yes, security lapses and the chaltha attitude is worrisome, but we must also admit that India has an infinitely larger border to take care of, given the close proximity of enemy on all sides. the ease with which terrorist can enter the country - by road, sea, rail and air - in the guise of relatives too is yet another factor.
but these are not excuses. all these have to be factored in and a consolidated security policy shud b eveolved.
@ charakan
what about 1993 World trade centre bombing? if the plan worked, the casualties 'd been higher that 9/11. more that 1000 were injured, not sure of deaths.
@ rocksea
it's difficult when such things happen to us.the immigration seems to have powers to make arbitrary decisions.
@ all
i was surprised to find that rest of u agreed with my views.
KPJ , I was also surprised that your view point got so much support . May be the anti muslim rhetoric of the Right wing in India and Western Countries is having its desired effect. The fact that US immigration officials needed more than 2 hrs to be conviced that SRK do not hold any potential threat to US speaks of inefficiency of the system there.A 10 second google search would have given tonnes of information on SRK.If they feel religious profiling helps in increasing security they can do it but I wish they will have the guts to say it aloud
ReplyDeleteGee I wish I saw this post much before. And thought like this before!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. It is our "chalta hai" attitude that has lead to so many security lapses in our own country.
ReplyDelete