The Truth about Azam Khan’s detention at Logan Airport Boston

UP Cabinet Minister Samajwadi Party Leader Azam Khan claims to have been frisked by the authorities at the Logan Airport, Boston . Khan also alleged that he was singled out due to the fact the he was Muslim.

This has created a big controversy and Indian Embassy too escalated this matter to its US Counterpart.

As per reports, when the visiting team landed at the airport, the Immigration and Border Protection officials accorded due courtesy and respect at the arrival point and even helped them in filling the arrival forms for entry into the US.

They were received and escorted by the officials of the Consulate General of India in New York and after they were cleared for entry, a woman officer of the US Customs and Border Protection wing of the Homeland Security took Khan to an adjacent room “for further questioning.” The extended interview lasted for ten minutes and the Minister was then cleared.

It is surprising that Khan has termed this extended Interview humiliating and created a scene at the Airport. As per reports, the arguments became loud and the woman officer threatened to file a complaint to restrain him from abusing her for discharging her duties as per the manual of the Department of Homeland Security.

Azam Khan is not the first Leader questioned for Security Purposes. Last Year One of the US Senators, Ron Paul was too detained and questioned at Airport.

Bollywood Actor Shahrukh Khan has been detained several times at the US Airports. Gujarat CM NArendra Modi has been denied VISA several times by United States.

In 2011, former Indian ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar was detained and body-searched by security officials at the Jackson-Evers International Airport, in Mississippi.

India’s UN envoy Hardeep Puri was detained in 2010, for more than 30 minutes at the Houston airport after he refused to remove his turban for security checks.

In September 2010, the then Union Minister for Civil Aviation was detained at the US airport because someone with the same name and date of birth as Mr Patel was on the US immigration’s watch list.

Actor Aamir Khan was strip searched and interrogated at the Chicago airport when he visited the US in 2002. In 2009, actor John Abraham was detained at New York airport by the FBI for having Afghanistan as one of the countries visited on his passport. He was released when he explained that he was an actor.

In 2009, when actor Neil Nitin Mukesh visited the US to shoot for his film New York, his fair complexion landed him in trouble as the immigration officers didn’t believe the fact that Neil was Indian.

Actor Irrfan Khan has been detained twice at US airports. First in 2008 when he was there to receive an award for his role in The Namesake, and then again in 2009 when he went to receive an award for Slumdog Millionaire.

Every Ordinary Citizen has to undergo this security check then why this furore over this.

Elected Leaders should understand that the security rules cannot be simplified under any circumstances. In India, security rules are easily bypassed in favor of elected leaders, but  in  Country like United States, such a lapse is intolerable. And, what is really wrong in cooperating with Security Officials ?

The problem is that the mindset of Politicians and Bureaucrats in India has been framed on the backbone of Ego and they always try to bring themselves above any laws or rules. This mentality is the real reason why such incidents continue to happen.