Filmmaker appeals to Obama for justice; asks for apology

Mumbai: Vijay Kumar, a Mumbai-based filmmaker researching Jihadi terrorism who was detained in Houston for carrying Jihadi literature and brass knuckles, has written a letter to the US President appealing for justice. He also said that the concerned authorities should apologise for being given a raw deal.
In August this year, Kumar was invited to speak at a peace conference on Jihadi terrorism in Houston, US. He was on his way to Vancouver, Canada, when he was arrested at the Houston airport on August 20. In his letter, he has appealed to the President that his name be cleared from US criminal records.
Kumar was charged with a third degree felony, reserved for someone who is considered a national threat. After being sent to a county jail in Houston, Kumar was released on September 15. But at the immigration centre, his visa was revoked.
He was put in a detention centre again, where for several days, he was forced to have meat, he claims. Kumar is a vegetarian. By the time he could make it to Vancouver, Canada's Border Security Force informed him that he could not enter because he had committed a crime in USA.
Kumar cannot obtain visa for any country now.
Kumar is yet in Canada, as his passport is with the Canadian authorities. He said that it would take some time for him to get it back.
But before leaving the city, he wants his name cleared. Otherwise, he would always be treated as a suspect when he travels to other countries.
08/11/10 Ketan Ranga/MiD DAY

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Categories: Airports Nov 2010, Foreign Oct 2010