India on Friday reacted sharply to actor Shah Rukh Khan's two-hour detention at a New York airport on Thursday, saying the apology the United States offered was nothing but mechanical. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna asked India's Ambassador in Washington, Nirupama Rao, to take up the issue. He said detention and apology had become a habit with the U.S., which could not continue.
The actor was detained for over two hours by immigration officials after he arrived from India in a private plane with a group that included Nita, wife of Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, to address students at Yale University.
While the rest of the team passed through immigration, Mr. Khan was detained and questioned. The actor was finally allowed to go following intervention by the Consulate-General of India (CGI) in New York.
This is the second time the actor has been detained for detailed questioning at a U.S. airport and he joins several Indian Muslims, including the former President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and BJP leader Shahnawaz Khan, who had been singled out for attention by the U.S. authorities because of their surnames.
Apart from Mr. Khan's high profile, there is an additional irony in his latest detention: In 2010, he starred in a Bollywood movie set in the U.S., My Name is Khan, which critiqued the official stereotyping of Muslims as suspicious persons.
While the U.S. was quick to apologise, there was no attempt at redress. The fine print after contriteness had been expressed was to advise the actor to register on a website that takes note of inconveniences suffered by a traveller to the U.S. such as racialism or repeated detentions because of mistaken identity.
The actor himself made light of his detention, tweeting that “whenever I start feeling arrogant about myself, I visit USA. The immigration guys kick the star out of stardom.”
In Delhi, following up on an apology letter by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol to the CGI, U.S. Embassy spokesperson Peter Vrooman summoned TV cameras for a readout to dampen the public relations damage. Describing the Bollywood movie star as a “great actor,” he said that even his daughter was taken in by Mr. Khan's movies and recalled a song from his latest movie that he claimed was the child's favourite.
Keywords: Shah Rukh Khan, New York airport, SRK airport detention
Well done Mr Minister.. It proved that the UPA government is serious on Common Man's concerns, although Mr Khan is not a Common Man. In general, UPA government and its Supream Head of Govt (Mrs Sonia Gandhi Ji) keep close their mouth.
I do not watch Bombay movies so I do not know this person who you say is an actor. His face is familiar though. I have seen him coming in between news on Indian English news channels advertising various products. Sometimes it is a face whitening cream for men. Sometimes potato chips. Sometimes chocolates. Sometime paints. I have not heard him because I switch off the sound during advertisements. The Homeland Security Department in the United States will do what it thinks it should do and in the way it thinks it should do. It does not bother about personalities. I don't see why the external affairs Minister and public officials of the Indian government should spend time and public money on a trivial matter like this. Surely they have better things that are more relevant to the public to do.
Seems the Indian govt isn't up to the mark in the anti-terror field. To them and anyone else who has "slammed" the 2-hr detention, I ask have you ever heard of the "Hizb-ut-Tahrir"? This is an Islamic terror group that has in its fold and is an expert in targeting elite, moneyed apparently "liberal, educated and moderate" Muslims. It was this group that was responsible for the recent attempted coup in Bangladesh. So it's quite fair to assume that SRK is a potential mark of them if you observe the matter objectively. Therefore its only
natural that they will want to verify relevant details before allowing him onto US soil proper. Americans have a thousand faults but among their few virtues is an absence of blind hero-worshipping. Instead of quot;slamming" the US, our govt, esp Chiddu should learn a few things from them.
PS- Looking at the response, I would request the Hindu to amend the title to "Indian GOVT slams...."...the rest of India have their own woes to "slam".
@above: Read the article properly. It was not a regular security check and it doesn't take 2 hrs for a security check. He was detained for 2 hrs where as the other members of his group like Nita ambani were allowed to go. He was detained just because his surname is 'khan'. I guess US should get over its paranoia of detaining muslims randomly now and then and that too such eminent personalities like SRK and APJ. They should respect their presence instead of insulting them.
The US has every right to detain this fellow. After all he is only an actor. Without makeup he is a nobody, try and recognize him on the street. If he feels they don't treat him right, why does he want to go so desperately to the US?
Doesn't matter who the personality is..! security concern is all from
above and apart from social prestige.
Detaining of an "ordinary" Indian citizen should not be an issue, its the handling. The instance has happened multiple times and the US of A has made it a habit to summarily apologise and continue. GOI should have the guts to address this as a general issue and not for a specific person. At the same time GOI should learn that its the same process that has insured no further attacks on US soil while we are still too far behind.
A two hour detention cannot just be dismissed as "routine security check". Are all passengers subject to such rigorous scrutiny or is it because "His Name is Khan" ?
India must take it seriously and register strong protest over such profiling. Certainly Prince Williams or Kate Williams will not have to go through all these , even if they arrive in a private jet. The argument "they treat everyone equally" will not wash.
Well said, Mr Ahmed!
Its not the question of Khan's stardom being questioned! The US Islamophobia undermines the very basis of equality.
US is very cautious and sensitive regarding its national security and terrorism. If one travels to countries which Us considers as hot bed of terrorism (e.g., Pakistan, Afghanistan, Dubai, etc) often like Shahrukh does, it is quite possible that he is under US's Homeland secutiy watch list. Shahrukh should consider himself lucky this time because he was not detained for an extended period, e,g,, day or two.
One can call them Ugly American, insensitive etc. Blame them by
calling any names. But one thing is to be kept in mind -"there has
been no terrorist incident since 9/11". Not like in India! Where security is concerned "better to be safe than sorry". They value
their citizens more than the bad names one may call them.
If we follow our rules to safeguard our nation by detaining a US diplomat or a celebrity or a white man.. forget it. If the person detained was a cricketer like Dhoni or Tendulkar would you still say that US followed the rules? I doubt it. Rise above petty politics, enough burying ourselves under our religious differences and it's time stop using different yardsticks to judge people. All that matter is an Indian was detained for no reason except his name and is unacceptable to me as an Indian.
Such treatment by Immigration officials happens even to established US citizens of Indian origin, holding US passports,either because they look differnt or their names are similar to names on Immigration Service's data base.
In India there is a VIP culture and these VIPs want to tbe treated in the same way abroad as they are used to at home. Even members of the US Congress have to pass through security checks unlike India where politicians and VIPs are let through with no checking. How many times we have seen Ambualances carrying a injured/critically ill person being held up in traffic even though they have their sires on while traffic is stopped on busy throughfares to allow the motorcades of some minor politician to pass through. Such things do not happen in the US or any other developed country.
Some comments here are laced with communialistic overtones and lacks the ability to uphold it. Its not the matter of Khan or he is a superstar for India, but the way USA treats other nationals in a deplorable fashion of their own. The readers who have commented here against the star have biased view on the faith he is from. If this had happened to a known personality from other religion the very same guys who are so much against Islam would have been mute all the way.
Pride is owned by self respected people and a country ruled by sycophants can never take a strong action against such repeated humiliations.
Take it easy man... Even Al Gore was subjected to intensive check.. It is all for his/our safety..Even if India protests at the highest level, it is unlikey they will relax their rules.. it is a nation of laws..
India protesting for SRK's detention? Have we lost our minds? There are other issues to be tackled leave alone corruption and poverty - and we are merrily shouting the US over this issue. Common Srk is just a fantastic cine artist, so is AB and so are others..doesnt matter to anyone if he gets detained again.
Recently he was smoking in the stadiam , that time nobody has spoken about him. as per the american security rules, they stopped him 2 hours, for this simple issue, politicians are talking too much.
why this mcuh imporatnace for an actor who is not doing anything for country.
We are making an issue of nothing. If this happens to an ordinary Indian citizen nobody bothers. It happened to a Bollywood star even the MEA is furious.
First respect yourself then respect your own people and then you go out
ask others to respect you. I am writing this to indian govt.
I don't understand why the Indian Ministers taking interest in this news. What is the external Minister doing about China making roads near Himachal and Arunachal. What are the ministers doing when China says TAWANG is there land. Who is SRk???? has he opened any school for poor any orphange or taking care of any village. He as normal citizen like any other Indian.
And first off all, why media hypes such news......
No apology is required for doing your job right. If you don't want to go
through the security clearance stay at home. Even 80 year old grandmas
and 2 year old white kids are getting frisked. Unlike India; US takes
its National Security very seriously.
Was SRK travelling as a representative of india to attend any function? He was on a private flight to attend a private function, the invitation of which came from a highly placed business family in India. Ridiculous that india has to respond to these things. If SRK has to wait, he has to. PERIOD.
why does Mr SM Krishna and co waste their time on insignificant things while there are tons of other "genuine" issues where they can spend time on. If this was an indian diplomat or any national representative on a national function, the reaction makes sense. Understand your priorities Mr Krishna.
According to my self, our govt. must learn something from U.S. There is nothing wrong in the US being cautious. They're not Indian officials to sleep through the entry of Kasab! Its just enough for 24x7 news channels to cover their time slots for a day! This is not a world shattering issue!
Hai Mechanical apology is not enough? what is the problem.I believe that simply they did their duty.we have to learn to respect law and be a person among others.not above not below.all are equal.some one are not more equal(ref:George Orwell)don't cry.appreciate the people who did their duty with sincerity .Let be mature.
Jackie Chan is Chineese and SRK is Indian!!! Lol... Ha Ha Ha
I was in the US over the weekend, and I had no problems. If SRK lands at JFK or Newark, there will be enough immigration officers and this will not happen. If he lands suddenly in White Plains in a private jet, then he has to wait two hours. Trouble with our film and cricket stars is that they land anywhere in the world and expected to be greeted by elephants, cheerleaders and garlands.
Many arguments are valid. The US should have updated the database. The database is name specific not id specific. They have rules and they are following rules. Even high officials can be corrupt so rules are laid and followed. I agree that they should change them and give a better mechanism to prevent it from happening again. To the comments about Tom Cruise and the like, even some senior senators have been detained for secondary screening and have had to miss their connecting flights. They cry too but cool down soon. Recently Alec Baldwin was off loaded from a plane because he did not turn off his cell phone. No one is afraid to implement the law. The Immigration security people are just going by the rules. Why raise an issue for that??
Hail the solidarity of MEA with the rich and celebrity class Indians of this country. What is MEA doing to help cause of vagrant Indians in UK living a wretched existence on the streets of London. MEA deserves the highest contempt from the people of this country for adopting different outreach standards to different class of people in the country.
Silly Indians will keep fighting among themselves and diverting the topic to Kasab and others when the fact is that a same person is getting detained again and again. First the jokers call SRK for honouring him and then detaining him at the airport ! and Indians instead of supporting SM Krishna are fighting among themselves. For the first time SM Krishna is doing some good job..Support him.
I wonder more about India's reaction to this incidence. India is more concerned about detainee being 'Shahrukh' Khan. SRK got away with security check in 2 hours because of intervention by Indian Consulate General (CGI), I wonder how many times and how promptly CGI would be intervening in the cases of just another 'Khan's. It's really obscene - harassment of fellow beings on idiotic grounds and plutocratic/elitist behavior of India.
Publicity for new movie?
As a reciprocation to US, when a top offical of VVIP from US set foot on Indian Soil, we should treat them in the same way.
Why should SRK expect a VIP treatment. He is just another person who job is dance and entertain . If Rakhi Sawant is stopped,are we required to react in such a way. Should a country responds to such minor incidents when we have other pressing needs... If he unhappy with the treatment ,he should get lost. It means America does not want him...
That is their teritory. They followed their country's security rules He is just a cine artist in India. Why Govt. is showing that much interest on this simple issue.
It's common practice and part of their routine security measures. Being a seamen, I was stopped during the transit a couple of times in the past and there is no need to press panic button for the sake so-called super star of Bollywood. Common on India, and keep of these kind of silly and stupid security issues!!!
Instead of asking why was SRK detained for 2 hours, we should be asking why was not Kasab and his fellow terrorists caught before they sneaked into Indian soil. There is no need for the U.S. to correct their security procedures. On the other hand, India can learn a lot from the U.S on how to prevent further attacks.
SRK does matter..not just because he is a superstar but an Indian.
someone is so rhetoric about the cautiousness of USA. But that should
not be at the cost somebody else's dignity. it is not his mistake that
he was named some Khan.
i am shocked to read this..Indian cabinet ministers have such silly
priorities..what has srk done for the nation..he is just like any other
citizen..by making such comments Indian minister is tarnishing India's
international image..it seems in India the capable is god..India should
learn lessons from america and instead of raising questions on their
procedures should try to rectify its own..moreover lets not forget that
this comment comes from the same foreign minister who read Portuguese's
minister's speech at UN..
One has to take a balanced preception on this incident.First thing it is not proper on US authorities to commit similar errors in their handling of immigrants related issues that too on same person or persons in repeated times. Yes having technology they should not be callous in these typpe of issues citing security as an issue by having a clear data base.Secondly on Indian Govt. part ,they will not make such hue and cry if it happens to an ordinary citizen visiting US. In such a case US or any other developed countries makes these thing as big issues at first instant itself.
What is the big issue for it to grab the headline attention.If he is detained for 2 hours why should ministry of External affairs and ambassadors get worked up.
It is not simple question of treating everybody equal whne it comes to security checks. Will public personality from UK be subjected to similar treatment ? I do not think so. It is simply a case of frisking the people with particular colour and background. However, there are enough evidences that the people with different colours can engage in the terrorist activities. I reckon such behaviour of security officer is not under scrutiny and hence,it continues. If US want to remain at top of the world order, they have to recognise prominent people of every country. Their selfish behaviour must stop.
The strong reaction from external affairs ministry s totally justified because of the fact that it is not happening for the first time with any Indian dignitary.India is very much respectful of the security measures taken by America,but to me it reflects the sheer arrogance of United States.Somewhere in their they have the notion that being the Uncle Sam gives them the authority to things at their will and their approach to it very much mechanical.Everytime they harasses some dignitaries from India,(especially the ones who has been invited by US organizations itself for some lectures or Honorary ceremony),they issues an apology letter and the chapter is closed.
Somewhere in tyhe backdrop of theur mind they carry the perception that issuing the apology letter and do what you want.
This is totally absurd.Matter is not of SRK being detained,but the attitude of the US to handle such identity crisis,and that is What External Affairs ministry is trying to convey.
In Indian borders, without the knowledge of Navy, Coast guard and what
not , terrorists can land in Bombay and commit terrorist act. We want
US also the same type of security. Why do'nt they issue some VVIP
passport to whomever they want special treatment? Like Norwegian child custody case, Indian govt. is overacting. To a common man, all white people are Americans, Brirish, German, French - no one can say. Like that with last name Khan, American immigration is more cautious. How can they differenciate a good Khan from a bad one. Man in the immigration counter is only a common government employee. Our immigration people allow criminals to enter and leave the country, should others be like that. Security itself is a overcautious affair.
To a policeman's eyes all are culprits, then only they can do their duty.
By raking up such issues, our media and politicians are showing how pathetic our views are towards security on airports. What they (US) are doing is right. If there is suspicion or random searches or both are required. And celebrities need to be targeted first. Otherwise, it will mean that only normal people are terrorists. In fact these people (celebrities, politicians, bureaucrats) should be topmost on radar. These are people who are least suspected and are likely to carry out something in future.
“They should review their security provisions especially for those
whose identity is well established”,
Yes absolutely! I definitely cannot shake this off my mind,that the
same person being detained more than once for an extended period of
time!!
We arguing that how the USA will feel or react if we detain Bruce
Willis or Tom Cruise in Indian border will not help, because in
reality it is not going to happen.
I have surely not heard Jackie Chan being detained in the US!!
This really sucks!
Q. How does SRK even matter?
A. Oh finally India got to say something that Amrika needs to correct
about their security.
Instead of taking a strong lesson from the United States our so called elected represntatives burning their gas stoves to make political chapatties to wow some people of this country.It is not a matter of someone has some identity so he or she be left without fullfiling the necessary check up something that happens in our country. After 9/11,The United States has not seen any attack on their soil, why? It is a big result of their strong security measures that they have taken after 9/11. If the rules and regulations that they have set up to curb such activities should be followed by every person either he / or she is gobally or non global personality.
So what? There is nothing wrong in the US being cautious. They're not Indian officials to sleep through the entry of Kasab! Its just enough for 24x7 news channels to cover their time slots for a day! This is not a world shattering issue!
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