US 'overdid' SRK's questioning: Chidambaram

New Delhi: Home minister P Chidambram on Monday said the Americans had "overdone it" by detaining Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for two hours at Newark airport in New Jersey, for questioning.
"Had it been for ten minutes or even twenty minutes (of detention for questioning), one can understand it. But one fails to understand how could they hold him for two long hours?" said Chidambaram, talking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual meet of the state chief ministers and the police chiefs on internal security scenario in the country here at Vigyan Bhawan.
"And to add to the complications, they allowed SRK to make a call only after two hours. Had they allowed him to make the call in first fifteen minutes, there would have been no controversy," said the minister.
Asked if India too would treat visiting US dignitaries or their high-profile citizens in the same manner, Chidambaram said: "We will tell them that we do it (frisking) and checking only in civilised manner."
The minister, however, lamented that such an unsavoury treatment was meted out to a high-profile citizen of a country where "we send our joint secretaries officers to the tarmac to receive them (visiting dignitaries.)"
17/08/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Aug 2009, Foreign Aug 2009