India outraged over Kalam frisking

[Mech]

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India outraged over Kalam frisking, US apologises

New Delhi: Amid growing outrage here, the United States on Sunday apologised to former president APJ Abdul Kalam for the incident involving his frisking at New York's JFK Airport.

In a written apology to Kalam and the Indian government, the US said, "Appropriate procedure for expedited screening of dignitaries had not been followed".



"We deeply regret the inconvenience that resulted for him (Kalam) as a result of the September 29 incident involving the security screening at JFK Airport in New York," a statement from the US embassy here said, noting that it had the utmost respect for Kalam.

They also said that US was actively working to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

The US apology came amidst Indian government’s strong reaction to the incident, which appeared to be snowballing into a diplomatic row between the two countries.

An outraged India government had earlier said it would subject US dignitaries to such action unless such "unacceptable" practices were stopped.

Hours after the matter was widely reported in the media here, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna spoke to Indian Ambassador to US Nirupama Rao and directed her to take up the matter in writing at the "highest level" with Washington.

According to officials, Krishna also sought a detailed report from its mission into the incident which they said was unacceptable. They further said that if this continues, there is a possibility of reciprocating as per diplomatic norms.

Notwithstanding previous protests, US officials had in September this year frisked Dr Kalam at the JFK Airport.

During the incident, which happened on September 29, US security men took Dr Kalam’s coat and shoes away while he was seated inside an Air India plane before departure.

According to reports, at around 2 pm local time frantic US security men entered the Air India aircraft after forcing the crew to open the door and insisted on frisking Dr Kalam. He had already been frisked once before entering the aircraft like any other passenger.

After Air India officials protested, US security men relented but still took away Dr Kalam’s coat and shoes which were returned after a swab analysis.

A swab analysis is conducted to detect any trace of explosives.

The government was apprised of the incident by both Air India and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

This was not the first time that Dr Kalam was frisked by US authorities. In April 2009, Dr Kalam was frisked at the Delhi airport by officials of the US-based Continental Airlines, despite his name featuring in the BCAS' list of people exempt from security checks in India. That incident had led to an uproar in Parliament.

http://zeenews.**********/news/natio...on_741529.html

[LetsGetRowdy]

poor US getting picked on by INDIA LOL. i knew times were bad for the US but didn't expect it to be this bad.

apologies now, concessions later?

looking forward to see sudan or somolia demand some kind of an apology from the US. their inspiration will be "if india can do it so can we".

[Chogy]

Every six months, some diplomat gets frisked in the USA at an airport, and the home country goes ballistic, as if every TSA agent is supposed to have memorized the faces of the 250,000 diplomats and politicians who travel to and from the USA.

It's nothing personal. It's not some plot to humiliate. It's just bad procedure.

I'm an airline pilot, and I still get frisked and probed every time I come to the airport. I once had a TSA dude want to confiscate a navigational tool, a compass... the thing that lets you draw circles. He didn't like the deadly 2cm pointy part. I asked him...

Me: What do you think I am going to do with that?
TSA: You might use it to take control of the airplane!!
Me: Think about what you just said...

[Roybot]

Every six months, some diplomat gets frisked in the USA at an airport, and the home country goes ballistic, as if every TSA agent is supposed to have memorized the faces of the 250,000 diplomats and politicians who travel to and from the USA.

It's nothing personal. It's not some plot to humiliate. It's just bad procedure.

I'm an airline pilot, and I still get frisked and probed every time I come to the airport. I once had a TSA dude want to confiscate a navigational tool, a compass... the thing that lets you draw circles. He didn't like the deadly 2cm pointy part. I asked him...

Me: What do you think I am going to do with that?
TSA: You might use it to take control of the airplane!!
Me: Think about what you just said...

Surely they don't just rely on memorizing people's face. You put someones detail in the system, and it should be able to tell you straightaway if the person qualifies for protocol or not? I also read somewhere that these diplomats, and dignitaries are issues with special ID cards to make things easier.

So it doesn't really seem that hard to implement the protocol without failure. And not to forget that in this case, TSA was informed by the Airline officials about the Ex Presidents credentials.

[Chogy]

^^ That's why I said "it's bad procedure."

Lighten up, mistakes happen.

[LaBong]

As far as I know former Indian Presidents and Prime Ministers are not exempt of frisking in US airports, same way former US presidents aren't exempt of frisking in Indian airports. However US airport crews follows their rulebook strictly and Indians don't.

[Ambitious449]

Got written apology frm world's strongest country. Enough. Isee USA is following rules so strictly. Thatsy there is no terror attack on American soil after 9/11. Need to learn things from USA

[Mech]

^^ That's why I said "it's bad procedure."

Lighten up, mistakes happen.

Its not just ANY diplomat....its our ex-PRESIDENT ! The mistake was nothing minor....

[BJP*]

poor US getting picked on by INDIA LOL. i knew times were bad for the US but didn't expect it to be this bad.

apologies now, concessions later?

looking forward to see sudan or somolia demand some kind of an apology from the US. their inspiration will be "if india can do it so can we".

is there itch in your hands to type such trolls???

[StandForInsaf]

go India frisk bush when he comes if you have even some little courage left ...

[Butters]

go India frisk bush when he comes if you have even some little courage left ...

If the GoI thought like kids... then maybe.

[divya]

go India frisk bush when he comes if you have even some little courage left ...

an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind... but then again whom am i telling.

[Chogy]

Its not just ANY diplomat....its our ex-PRESIDENT ! The mistake was nothing minor....

It is a simple matter of media exposure. Right or wrong, a U.S. President like Bush gets a lot more exposure than an ex-President of India. If it is a matter of face recognition, I'm sorry, I wouldn't have recognized him either. Does every Indian recognize the President or Prime Minister of every nation? These are TSA people, not MIT graduates or NASA engineers.

Words like OUTRAGEOUS, UNTHINKABLE, are a bit over the top, wouldn't you say? There has already been a massive written apology. What more does India want? We could cede Guam to India, I guess.

Much ado about very little.

[Mech]

It is a simple matter of media exposure. Right or wrong, a U.S. President like Bush gets a lot more exposure than an ex-President of India. If it is a matter of face recognition, I'm sorry, I wouldn't have recognized him either. Does every Indian recognize the President or Prime Minister of every nation? These are TSA people, not MIT graduates or NASA engineers.

Words like OUTRAGEOUS, UNTHINKABLE, are a bit over the top, wouldn't you say? There has already been a massive written apology. What more does India want? We could cede Guam to India, I guess.

Much ado about very little.

Your'e right...there isn't anything anyone of us can do except wring our hands in frustration. Yet, the whole thing is a bit sad and insulting...especially when this man, is not just any president....he is one of the greatest scientists in modern India....

He is also the father of India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Program....among many other things.

Personally, i feel bitter about the whole issue...I wish our airport authorities would take it upon themselves to frisk every visiting foreign US dignitary..........for security.....

[StormShadow]

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He is an ex-president of India...not America!!! And the Americans have every right to check him. Unfortunately, we cant do much about that. It's a norm. The US has issued an apology which is good and we can leave it at that.