SRK detained at US airport, released after diplomatic intervention
Press Trust Of India / New York Aug 16, 2009, 00:19 IST
Early Saturday morning, as India woke up to celebrate its 63nd Independence Day, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was detained at Newark Airport in the US and questioned for over two hours. Later, the Indian Mission intervened and secured the release of the 43-year-old actor.
Khan, who was heading towards Chicago to participate in the Independence Day celebrations there along with fellow actors Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu, said it was a “little embarrassing”.
“It is a Muslim name and I think the name is common on their checklist,” he told Indian television channels over telephone. “I was taken aback... I was waiting for my bags... I thought it was nice of them to take me to another room... But that was apparently a second check. I had my papers in order.”
Khan said he kept telling the authorities that he was an actor and requested them to allow him to speak to his contacts in the US, but was not allowed to make calls initially.
“They said calls were not allowed. But, later they said that I can make one. Then I sent messages to my secretary, my home and (Congress MP Rajiv) Shukla,” he said. Shukla informed the Indian Mission, which immediately contacted the authorities concerned and secured his release.
“I have always been worried about travelling to America. I shy away from all this. I don’t look like a terrorist going to do anything to the country. I did feel bad. I felt angry. I am glad my family wasn’t there. God knows what they would have done to them,” Khan said, adding that it was not for the first time such an incident had happened to him. “They always do it and it’s odd travelling alone. They kept on asking silly and irrelevant questions like phone numbers and hotel number,” Khan said.
India takes up case
India has taken up the case with the US Embassy in New Delhi, which said it was ascertaining details. “The matter was taken up with the US Embassy,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said, adding that the Embassy was ascertaining factual details of the incident.
The Consul General of India in New York is in touch with Khan. US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer issued a separate statement, saying: “We are trying to ascertain the facts of the case — to understand what took place.”
Describing Khan as a “global icon”, Roemer said: “He is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films.”
Soni suggests tit for tat
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni reacted sharply, saying many such incidents had taken place in the US, and suggested a tit for tat. “I am of the opinion that the way we are frisked, for example I, too, was frisked, we should also do the same to them,” she said, adding that in many cases the frisking was “beyond permissible limits”.
“I don’t understand (how) in the name of religion frisking can be done for anyone like this,” said an angry Soni.
The movie industry was unanimous in expressing outrage. Khan’s friends Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Juhi Chawla and Aziz Mirza as well as industry veterans like Mahesh Bhatt and Raza Murad slammed the the ill-treatment meted out to the megastar.
For that matter, any INDIAN who is subject to unnecessary harassmant need to be condemned upon. Why media and SRK himself is giving so much furore on this issue where as our own PJ ABDUL KALAAM incident went without this much chaos and protests. SRK is only a film personality and people are making so much noice on this issue. Why was the incident in which Sri PJ Abdul Kalaam, the most respected, the most knowledgeable and the most humble Indian one could see in Post Independence era, was not condemned or protested or publicised to this degree? Was it not an insult to the Indians? Why SRK is protesting now when he himself is admitting that it is not the first time he is facing this situation. If he was so sensitive, he could have protesed on the first occcassion itself or could hav avoided freqenting US. Cant he reamin in INDIA and do the service?
The opinions posted so far are quite alarming. However, we all have an opinion and each one is infinitely valuable. We have to see all sides and realize that there are really people out there that are incredibly ignorant. Profiling is a reality. I myself was "profiled" and detained and interrogated IN FRONT OF MY WORKPLACE! I'm a brown person and I had a backpack and what really is troublesome to accept is that there were several others stopped but none interrogated and none of them were female, none were blond and blue-eyed. Brown people need to stand up every single time something like this happens. Don't let the authorities get away with this injustice. SPEAK UP!
CUBATOURS.US
Brazil is country giving tit for tat by asking only american citizens to give finger prints as amrican are doing fro the all world .
Hopefully all american ( white ) citizens entering in other countries are made to go through such humiliations so they go back and teach american
goverment the business ...............
I wonder the officials in the airport knows how to google, if not teach them ask them to type SRK and search, i bet they will get a MILLION results and photos of sharukh. God can't belive these peoples are so stupid.......
Content Guide
