By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Even as US officials denied accusations that they detained Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan at an airport because he is Muslim, the incident earned him willy-nilly a splash in the American media.
“This never happened to Schwarzenegger,” noted New York Daily News reporting how “Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a Muslim mistaken for a terrorist in his latest film, says he was racially profiled at Newark Airport and detained for two hours on Friday.”
“The 43-year-old ‘Tom Cruise of India’ – cited last year by Newsweek as one of the world’s 50 most influential men – was released only after Indian diplomats intervened,” it said describing him “as the international box office sensation” who has appeared in more than 70 films.
It took note of US Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer’s statement that “Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States”. “Many Americans love his films.”
“But there were no Bollywood buffs in Newark as Khan came through the airport on his way to Chicago for a celebration of India’s independence day” it noted. “I told them I am a movie star,” Khan said – although the line fell on deaf ears.
The Washington Post in a report from New Delhi said “One of India’s biggest movie stars said he was detained and questioned … causing outrage across his home country and reigniting discussion of the hardships many Indians say they face while travelling abroad.
The Post also noted the incident followed another recent example of an Indian coming under suspicion for what talk show pundits here call “flying while brown.” Last month, Continental Airlines apologised to former Indian president Abdul Kalam for frisking him at the New Delhi airport.
Meghnad Desai, an Indian-born economist, member of Britain’s House of Lords and author of books on Indian cinema and globalisation, joked in an interview in New Delhi that the whole thing seemed like a publicity stunt for Khan’s new film.
“The US government was an inadvertent accomplice to 20th Century Fox, which is investing millions in this movie,” he said. “This was a no-no for India-US relations.”
The New York Times too took note of the incident with an agency story headlined “Bollywood Icon Detained at US Airport.”
A spokesman for the US Bureau of Customs and Border Protection said Khan was questioned for 66 minutes as part of the agency’s routine process to screen foreign travellers and was not detained.
“Due to privacy concerns, Customs and Border Protection cannot disclose the specifics regarding any traveller’s inspection,” the CBP said in a statement.
“Generally speaking, travelers applying for admission into the United States are subject to inspection. The inspection process may include a more in-depth interview and baggage examination.”
“CBP strives to treat all travellers with respect and in a professional manner, while maintaining the focus of our mission to protect all citizens and visitors in the United States,” it said, adding,” inspection lasted a little more than a hour.”
“Unfortunately, Khan’s checked luggage was lost by the airline which contributed to his delay during CBP processing,” the statement said.
“Travellers may be referred for further inspection for a variety of reasons to include identity verification, intent of travel, and confirmation of admissibility.”
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])