Quoting rules, Puri thwarts US screener

Washington: Contrary to extensive reporting in the media, enquiries by The Telegraph revealed that Hardeep Puri, India’s permanent representative to the UN in New York, was not “patted down” at a Texas airport a few weeks ago. Nor did an airport screener remove his Sikh turban, contrary to reports today.
A detailed account of this incident sent to New Delhi from India’s consul general in Houston, Sanjiv Arora, reveals that unlike Meera Shankar, the Indian Ambassador in Washington, Puri stood his ground at Austin airport and was, therefore, cleared with an apology after the screener checked with his TSA superiors on the phone.
This newspaper’s investigations into the twin incidents reveal the following.
Puri, accompanied by another diplomat from the Indian mission to the UN, arrived at Austin’s airport and passed through a security-scanning machine like every other passenger. A screener then singled out Puri for a secondary search, ostensibly because he was a Sikh wearing the traditional turban.
Puri, a regular air traveller within the US who had thoroughly read the TSA rules and was keen to avoid a diplomatic incident involving his host country, politely told the screener that since the scanning machine had not triggered an alarm, it was beyond the authority of the airport’s screeners to demand a pat down.
The screener realised that this passenger knew the rules and did not pursue his demand for a pat down. But he insisted on removing Puri’s turban and physically examining it for prohibited items.
Again, Puri told the screener that under the TSA’s own rules no one was allowed to touch his turban in deference to religious sensitivities, but the screener continued to insist on removing the turban. Puri then told the screener that he obviously did not know his own department’s rules and told him to check with his superiors.
The screener was also told by Puri that under the TSA rules, if a turban had to be removed, it had to be removed by the passenger himself and the screener could only check it with a cotton swab with chemicals holding the swab with a tweezer or a tong. Under no circumstances is a screener allowed to touch the religious symbol with his own bare hands.
Faced with no option, the screener agreed to contact his superiors, but warned that Puri may miss his flight as it would take time. Puri said he would rather miss his flight than forgo his rights as a passenger.
After about 15 to 20 minutes, the screener came back and apologised to Puri, conceding that he was, indeed, right.
At no point did the permanent representative flaunt his diplomatic status because diplomats are not exempt in the US from airport screening.
Puri merely relied on the TSA guidelines which went into effect on November 1 that expressly set out the procedures at airports for dealing with passengers of Sikh faith. The specific guidelines are said to have been insisted on by the White House to mollify American Sikhs who were hurt after Barack Obama abruptly dropped Amritsar from his Indian itinerary.
13/12/10 K. P. Nayar/The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010, Foreign Dec 2010