America’s Continental Airlines has apologised to former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam for frisking him before he boarded a flight to the US.
The airline said in a statement that it had not intended to offend Mr Kalam or the sentiments of the people of India.
Members of India’s parliament were outraged after it emerged that Mr Kalam had been frisked and made to remove his shoes at Delhi airport in April.
Protocol exempts former presidents and other dignitaries from such searches.
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Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told parliament that airlines are given a list of people who are exempt from security checks at Indian airports.
“This act of frisking the former president… is absolutely unpardonable and beyond the scope of the laws of our country,” Mr Patel said.
“We will look into the matter. If the former president has been insulted, we will take action.”
According to reports, Mr Kalam, president from 2002 to 2007, was made to remove his shoes and empty out the contents of his pockets, and a hand-held metal detector was run over his body.
News of the incident – which took place in April as he boarded a Continental Airlines flight to the US – only emerged this week.
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8162437.stm
Why does the Indian government allow the honorable Dr. Kalam to fly on Continental. If you want to treat a dignitary with dignity above that of the normal public then he shouldn’t fly on a public flight. The Indian govt should arrange a chartered or government flight for Dr. Kalam’s travel. The US does this for it’s exPresidents out of respect and security. Bush and Clinton wouldn’t be frisked because they’re not flying public air transportation!
Continental treats everybody with the same lack of respect regardless of race, religion, nationality or social/political rank. I get frisked everytime I fly on Continental and I’m a white Christian American. Heck, the last two times I flew with them they even lost my luggage and weren’t particularly nice about getting them back to me. Dr. Kalam is lucky they didn’t lose his luggage or that they didn’t sit him in a middle seat between two gassy fat guys.
Continental Airlines is the worst airlines and YES they are racists. My wife traveled using the airlines. There were 2 indian families, one with a baby, sitting next to her in the same row. The steward and stewardess were extremely disrespectful. Refused to help with the baby’s needs. The steward was extremely confrontational, and when one of the indians noted the stewards name, the steward in turn threatened to report the indians for causing trouble. My wife was there and stuck up for them saying that if that happened she would support the indian family, and if they wanted to sue continental she would be more than willing to help them as a witness. This isn’t the first. Racism seems to be a commonplace on Continental Airlines, and since most indians don’t say anything about it, they are discriminated against over and over again.
My wife and I refuse to support Continental and its employees by traveling on it.
fuck you damn cracker indians!!!!!!!!
disrespect him? he’s lucky he didnt get tazed.
Fuck america and their american arrogant obese idiots. No wonder you are the most hated nation on this planet!