New Delhi/Chennai, Nov 13
(IANS) Former Indian president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was frisked by the
John F. Kennedy airport authorities in New York Sep 29, resulting in a strong
Indian protest and a subsequent US apology for the breach of
protocol.
Eighty-year-old Kalam, who was in the US to attend a series of
events, was returning home by an Air India flight when the airport authorities
boarded the aircraft to frisk the former Indian president, who had already
occupied his seat.
Kalam did not object and subjected himself to the
security check, officials said.
"He cooperates with the security agencies
and does not protest. Even at JFK airport former president did not protest. But
what was in bad taste was that after he got seated in flight the security
personnel asked him to hand over his coat and shoes," a source close to Kalam
told IANS in Chennai.
"The coat and shoes were returned later," the
source added.
The Air India crew immediately protested the US
Transportation Security Administration's action.
The matter was reported
to the external affairs ministry in writing immediately on Kalam's return, said
the source in Chennai.
External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna asked
Indian Ambassador Nirupama Rao to raise the issue at the highest level in the US
administration, saying it was "unacceptable" to India and that New Delhi may
reciprocate the treatment to American dignitaries.
Following the
protest, the US government "deeply" regretted the incident and conveyed its
"utmost respect" for Kalam.
"The United States government has the utmost
respect for former Indian president Abdul Kalam. We deeply regret the
inconvenience that resulted for him as a result of a Sep 29 incident involving
the security screening at John F. Kennedy airport in New York," the Obama
administration said in its apology.
Subsequently, charge d'affaires of
the US Mission in India Ambassador Peter Burleigh personally hand-delivered a
letter from the US Transportation Security Administration to former president
Kalam, and a similar letter was delivered to the Indian government.
In
these letters, the US government extended its apology that appropriate
procedures for expedited screening of dignitaries had not been followed. "We are
actively working to prevent similar incidents in the future from occurring," it
said.
Noting that the US "deeply values and appreciates" its "strong
relationship and partnership" with India, the Obama administration said: "We are
confident that despite this regrettable incident, we will continue working
closely with India in the many areas of our strategic partnership."
This
is the second incident of frisking of Kalam by American authorities. On April
21, 2009, the former president was boarding a Continental Airways plane at the
Delhi airport when the airline authorities frisked him, clearly breaching
diplomatic protocol.
A protest from India and its parliament led to the
airlines and the US government apologising to Kalam later.