SRK saga at Newark Airport
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Posted on: 17-08-09 16:08:45
The hue-and-cry about Shahrukh Khan’s detention at Newark airport is related to up-coming movie “My Name is Khan”.
It gets him BIG TIME MEDIA coverage for the movie.
This is not unusual.Every country has its own rules and you must follow them.Mind well,film stars or even former presidents are no exception.Couple of back one film star from lndia l guess son of sunil dutt was sent back to lndia from Toronto airport.All people have same rules as far they are humans.
A Union minister has called for a ‘‘tit-for-tat’’ retaliation against the Americans and the ministry of external affairs has asked the
US embassy for a clarification on the detention of Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan at Newark airport in US on Saturday, but some police officials and security experts believe that the ‘‘emotional over-reaction’’ of Indians is due to a basic misunderstanding of how the American system works.
‘‘In the US, if a junior officer is following the rule book, there is nothing you can do about it. In India, the powerful and famous are used to making calls to their ‘contacts’ in right places and getting away from difficult situations, but things don’t work like that in the US,’’ says a Delhi Police officer.
‘‘I wish my men had the same powers and we the same work culture,’’ says the officer, adding that Indian immigration too regularly detains suspicious foreigners.
Though they agree that the incident smacks of racial profiling and it’s not the right way to screen suspected terrorists, police officers here have admiration for the way American police is allowed to work without political interference. The best example of this is the incident, where a local sergeant blasted President Obama for his remarks condemning the arrest of his friend and Harvard professor Louis Gates. Sgt Crowley accused the US president of being ‘‘way off base’’ in calling the police action ‘‘stupid’’.
At a press meet the next day, Obama called the Cambridge cop an ‘‘outstanding police officer’’ and invited him to the White House for a beer. ‘‘Can you imagine a small, provincial police officer in India taking on the PM? We are
even scared of local MLAs and mafia dons with political connection,’’ says a UP police official.
Quote:
Originally posted by KumarM
Did anyone read the SRK saga at Newark Airport last week? US immigration staff are a bunch of paranoid folks. Well, what to expect from high school graduates who work for immigration at the airports. Just because his last name is Khan does not mean that he is a suspect. After two hrs he was allowed a tel call.
KM
These highschool grads are much better than Indian "smart" guys. USA never suffered attack on their soil after 9/11. Look at pathetic state of India. Who gives a damn to SRK? You may not agree with immigration staff's attitude or behaviour (and I do not like it) but it has worked wonders for USA. Ends justify means. Hats off to them
It's better to have a million travelers [including Khan] go through extra security checks than have repeat of 9/11 which is the blood of innocent victims .
Keep it up, USA
Quote:
Originally posted by Nightmare
Quote:
Originally posted by KumarM
Did anyone read the SRK saga at Newark Airport last week? US immigration staff are a bunch of paranoid folks. Well, what to expect from high school graduates who work for immigration at the airports. Just because his last name is Khan does not mean that he is a suspect. After two hrs he was allowed a tel call.
KM
These highschool grads are much better than Indian "smart" guys. USA never suffered attack on their soil after 9/11. Look at pathetic state of India. Who gives a damn to SRK? You may not agree with immigration staff's attitude or behaviour (and I do not like it) but it has worked wonders for USA. Ends justify means. Hats off to them
I am not a SRK fan. At the same time, I do not feel it is right to question or whatever for two hours just because one has a Khan in his name.
But at the same time couldn't agree more with Nightmare. A very valid point. I think the Indian government and security agencies should learn from the US. There should be zero tolerance towards terrorism and related activities. It should not matter how powerful or popular a person is.
Quote:
Originally posted by Nightmare
These highschool grads are much better than Indian "smart" guys. USA never suffered attack on their soil after 9/11. Look at pathetic state of India. Who gives a damn to SRK? You may not agree with immigration staff's attitude or behaviour (and I do not like it) but it has worked wonders for USA. Ends justify means. Hats off to them
I don't get all this SRK bashing, though I am not a Bollywood tracker.
A person entering USA is detained for secondary screening. He is asked what he does, who he is visiting and purpose of his trip.
He gives his answer. What other answer can he give other than that he is an actor, travels frequently to USA for making films and shows. I was not in the room with him, but am certain he did not try any Bollwood diologues...
He is not believed by the immigration officer apparently, not given access to his cellphone, and only later allowed to make a call to get help to the Indian consulate.
Would anybody not be disturbed or upset? How about any of the folks airing their views here? Ever been for secondary screening?
This is not to question secondary screening, but the way in which the secondary screening information is set up.
The fact that he is SRK is incidental to the process. His relative fame makes this a case for publicity, no doubt.
