Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s frisking at the Delhi international airport has sparked uproar in the Indian media.
Kalam is one of India’s most popular presidents, his tenure remembered both for his common touch and his earlier role in India’s rise as a nuclear power.
The government has filed a police report against Continental Airlines, whose staff frisked Kalam, violating a Bureau of Civil Aviation Security directive exempting specified VIPs and VVIPs from security checks.
Social networking sites were abuzz with angry Indians wondering how Americans would have reacted if, for example, former U.S. president Bill Clinton had been frisked.
For its part, the airline issued a statement saying both there were no exceptions to its security policy and it believed that Kalam had not been offended.
What do YOU think? Should Kalam have been frisked?
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The word “frisking” has mildly violent connotations, and should not be used in this context. When a person goes to the doctor to get an EKG done, shirt and shoes come off, and the doctor sticks elctrodes all over, but the doctor hasn’t “frisked” that person, its just part of the process.
I have the highest regard for Dr. Kalam. In this case, however - can the Indian governent gaurantee the safety of his baggage and belongings through the entire chain of custody? The IGI airport has literally no securtity uptil checkin (anyone with a printout of an e-ticket can get in). If the terrorists get a hold of this VIP list, all VIPs can be easy targets in the Indian airports. All the terrorists have to do is slip in an explosive device or a cellphone bomb into the carry-on luggage or even checked luggage of these VIPs, KNOWING that they will skip security. VIPs are humans too - they take off their coat when it gets hot and hang it on the back of the seat while in the waiting area, they go to the bathromm and can’t always keep a wathful eye on all their belongings.
On a lighter (pun) note - do all VIPs understand the rules of flying? What if a VIP who smokes has a lighter or matches in the checked luggage. The security procedures take care of all these inadvertant mistakes - are we to trust all VIPs with the safety of perhaps 300 passengers in a 777?
The diginity of VIPs is not more fragile than the dignity of the common passenger - and I’m happy Dr. Kalam seems to agree. We can have a parallel process for VIPs. But then we also need to have a VIP dignity-protecting EKG m/c that can take readings w/o frisking.
What does Dr. Kalam’s cat eat? Friskies
Yes it was a breach of protocol and the airlines proved it by offering an apology later. Dr. Kalam is not only the former President of India but a evry renowned scientist and intellectuals of our country.
@ Raman, if you cant trust your own president for security then u have no right to live on this land. It is a total breach of protocol, i’m sure george bush or even musharaf for that matter go thru the security check. this was an utterly disgusting incident.
Clearly, Kalam has no style. Instead of just letting them get away with it and just pouting about it, he should do what this one North American guy did when United Airlines broke his guitar when he flew with them recently. He’s written a song about it and posted it on youtube. It’s quite good, has a lot of hits and is making United look bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqo zo
Yes - it’s not racial - American run airlines treat everyone terrible.
Ye koi acchi baat nahin hai…
It’ s A shame for our nation.
I am surprised that the Protocol Officials accompanying Dr. Abdul Kalam had not briefed airline staff suitably. No airline operating in another country can ignore the official exemptions applied in that country.I believe each and every nation has similar exemptions.
The airline staff have acted out of ignorance and overzealousness, and discretion should have been exercised and the ex-President and Head of State should not have been subjected to frisking - unless there were specific grounds for suspecting him. I believe that at times, certain people act dumbly and routinely out of sheer ignorance and lack of judgement. The Airline should have apologised promptly and graciously!
I do not think there is much room for a debate here. If we respect US Dignitaries, they ought to respect our’s. Let them get this straight..the sooner the better!
I agree with Sumeet here. We had a similar (or even more terrific) attack on Taj Hotel in Mumbai where Hillary Clinton stayed a week back, so does that mean we start frisking her. Had you liked her getting frisked by hotel officials all the time on way to her suite?
Again, I’m in strong favour of making security checks more stringent for the safety of all. So, lets accept and make this law universal for all VIPs and VVIPs or forget it.
Well at least some one somewhere is following the laws of their land. Indian laws cease to be effective once you leave the terminal, and the US laws come into play. Cynthia was being conscientious. The fault is entirely of the Indian authorities who should have sorted out the issue and the confusion which was waiting to happen.
India has the right that its ex-head of state should be allowed his dignity but it is Indian government rather than a US airline which needs to be solicitous about that.
This one for Mr. Dirk, who posted his comment on July 24th, 2009 12:02 pm GMT:
Dear Dirk… you mentioned that in wake of NY skyscrapers (which indeed were the great pride of all Americans) tragedy due to airlines security lapse, all passengers should be frisked irresp. of stature and post… then plz answer this: Our Indian parliament (all Indians pride) was attacked by same anti-peace group who hit NY towers in same year 2001, so should we frisk all American dignitaries before allowing them to enter into our Parliament premises??? Just imagine how reaction would have been when Hillary Clinton (who recently visited India around same time as this incident) been security-screened! So, plz plz don’t quote and relate such high “sensitive” and “emotional” incidents of NY to this mishap. Even though I.m of full support that ALL should be screened and checked, but plz get UN approval and make it universal-law. Thank You
I am not an Indian National, but I am as mad as hell. I even can recognize Prez Kalam. That is total disrespect for a person of Pres Kalam’s stature. Heads should roll…and I am not sure how high up!
Mad as hell..
All should be frisked. Just because you have darker skin should not make you exempt. Get over it
It’s unfortunate that this happened. However, it seems Kalam did not resist being frisked and did not complain about it. This shows the former president still considers himself an ordinary Indian citizen, not one of our so-called VIPs who delay flights, threaten to get officials transferred and generally end up irritating other passengers.
During a train journey to Kerala several years ago, our co-passenger turned out to be a sitting Lok Sabha MP from Bihar. We found he had disembarked during the night, pocketing one of the towels provided to AC-tier passengers. The next morning the railway attendant came to collect blankets and towels, didn’t believe our version of the story and forced us to pay for the missing towel.
It wasn’t the money that bothered me, it was how that VIP got away with it. And how such VIPs continue to do as they wish even today.
We cannot have double standards concerning security. If the security feels a person must be frisked, his word should be the law at that point. In fact, I am dissappointed that Kalam did not come out and say that the airlines was just doing their duty. Shows that the king vs commoner mentality is alive and well in India at all levels.