New Delhi, July 22: Despite being aware that President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was frisked before boarding a Continental Airlines flight to the US, the government had kept the shocking incident buried for nearly three months.
A Mail Today exposé brought the “national shame” into the public domain – an uproar in Parliament followed the report – forcing the government into a flurry of action on Tuesday.
New details about the case reveal that a security official at the Indira Gandhi International airport had filed a formal report giving extensive details of Kalam’s humiliating body search in his own country before leaving for the US on the night of April 21.
The report was sent to the Union Home Ministry and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) of the Civil Aviation Ministry.
But, raising the possibility of connivance with the foreign airline, the two ministries simply buried the case, perhaps knowing the former President would not go public on the issue.
An FIR was lodged against the airline’s country director in India, airport manager and security in- charge.
Civil aviation minister Praful Patel announced that a show- cause notice had been issued to the US airline for ignoring an Indian government circular that identifies VIPs exempted from security checks. This circular that identifies VIPs exempted from security checks.
This circular is prepared by the BCAS. It lists 31 VIPs who should not be put through security checks at Indian airports. All airlines operating in India are provided with guidelines which include the point that the President and former presidents are exempt from security checks.
In Kalam’s case, his PSO showed the security exempted pass issued to the former President to the US airline’s staff. But this was ignored. Dr Kalam’s personal secretary H. Sheridon, who was also on trip, confirmed that Dr Kalam was frisked.
“Inside the aircraft, Dr Kalam told us that he had been frisked. But we did not take up the issue further. It is not in the former President’s nature to raise such issues,” he said. While Patel said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident, there were no answers on why the ministries of civil aviation and home affairs had effectively dumped the security official’s report of the April 21 incident.
This report, submitted the very next day, provides a graphic account of how Kalam was put through the security grind, and how security officials insensitively debated over him while he was made wait on the aerobridge leading to the aircraft.
Unconcerned that a former Indian head of state and a world-renowned scientist stood in front of her, Continental Airlines security in-charge Cynthya Karleyar brusquely told an Indian protocol officer accompanying Kalam, “For us there is no separate rule for VIPs and we are bound to check everyone no matter who he is.”
Mail Today has a copy of the report. It says, “On April 21 at 10 pm Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India, was travelling to Newark by Continental Airlines flight CO 083 along with a CISF inspector who is his protocol officer and the PSO of former President. At Secondary Ladder Point Checking (SLPC) Continental Airlines staff conducted checking and frisking of Kalam and asked him to remove his shoes.”
This was preceded by an altercation between Karleyar, who insisted on checking Kalam, and the former president’s security officer who said this would be a breach of protocol.
“Despite explaining the BCAS rule regarding exemption of security check of expresidents by the CISF inspector to Cynthya Karleyar, the security in- charge of Continental Airlines, the latter insisted on the check saying, SLPC (secondary ladder point checking) is necessary for every passenger of Continental flight as per the rule,” the letter further said, adding: “It is observed that during the movement of Dr Kalam, the behaviour of airline official was impolite and rude.” Despite these strong words, the government took no action against the US airline, perhaps taking the stand that holding up the honour of a former President is his own private business.
In Parliament, the government faced flak for ignoring a matter of national importance. BJP leader Prakash Javdekar asked the Centre to suspend the operations of Continental Airlines in India. Congress MP Jayanti Natarajan supported it.
CPM leader Sitaram Yechury asked the Centre to ascertain if the treatment meted out to the former President had something to do with his name.
“If that is the case, then the matter is much more serious than a mere slip of the operations,” he said.
The belated action of filing an FIR against the US airline following the Mail Today report was a part of the government’s damage limitation exercise.
Praful Patel met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue and briefed him about the show- cause notice and the FIR filed against Continental Airlines.
Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (Operations Cell) said, “We have received a complaint and are in the process of registering a case under the requisite sections.” According to sources, a case will be registered under Section 11 (A) of the Aircraft Act for “willfully violating” an airport circular.
The section cites a prison term of six months for staff involved which can be accompanied by a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
Meanwhile, Continental Airlines was unfazed by the raging controversy over the Kalam case and, in fact, defended itself by saying it was a routine procedure.
“We are honoured and proud to have had such a distinguished customer and we hope former President APJ Abdul Kalam has been pleased by our service. As all carriers flying to the U. S. A, Continental must follow the TSA requirements and procedures (Transportation Security Administration/ U. S Department of Homeland Security) TSA requirements impose a final security check in the aerobridge just before boarding the aircraft,” said Laurent Recoura, Senior Country Director, India of Continental Airlines.
He added that, “We believe that Dr Kalam was not offended and we would like to thank him again for flying with us.”
Who’s Cynthya Karleyar?
She is a Delhi-based staff of Continental Airlines and has been with the company for the past four years. It was she who insisted on Abdul Kalam being frisked.
Her main job is to monitor all work outsourced to the staff of the ASL, a subsidiary company of Indian Airlines, which provides security in Indian airports to all international airlines, including Continental. Eleven ASL staff under her check registered baggage and clean Continental aircraft at IGIA before she gives her clearance for departure.
–Agencies