New Delhi, July 21: In what is clearly a breach of protocol and an insult, former president APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked and also asked to remove his shoes for checks by an international airline at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport recently, reports said on Tuesday.
Kalam, the predecessor of current President Pratibha Devisingh Patil, was travelling to the US about a month ago on Continental Airlines when the incident happened.
Prior to boarding the flight at the IGI airport, the former head of state was asked to take off his shoes during frisking and his belongings were scanned through an X-ray machine.
This is a clear breach of protocol because as a former president, Kalam is exempted from frisking and all other security checks.
The Directorate General of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for security at the country’s airports, denied the security checks were conducted by them.
According to CISF, the former president was subjected to security checks by the airline staff.
However, Continental defended its action saying that, as a policy, every passenger including VIPs are frisked across the world.
The airline’s spokesperson told a TV news channel that the former president happily went through all security checks.
The government and its agencies have reacted to the development, with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel assuring that he would look into the matter and seek corrective action.
If need be the airline will be asked to tender an apology, he told reporters.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is believed to have already ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Sources said the BCAS feels the airline is prima facie guilty.
–Agencies