New Delhi: Golfer Amritinder Singh, coach of India's top golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, had a harrowing experience at Milan's Malpensa airport on Tuesday, where security officials forced him to remove his turban and place it on a basket for clearance before being allowed to board a transit flight to Rome.
Jeev also had to wait around till they were cleared to board the flight. Amritinder was travelling with Jeev for the European Tour's Sicilian Open this week. Jeev is a three-time winner on the European Tour.
"The man was very rude," said Amritinder. "We kept telling him that I am a sportsperson who has travelled across the world and he should take a look at my passport but he wasn't ready to listen. He just said, 'No, you won't be able to board the flight unless you take it off.' It was particularly insulting that I was asked to keep my turban on a tray where people also keep their shoes."
While it is customary to use hand-held wands to scan turbans, European Union rules state that the headwear can be 'patted down' if the metal detector bleeps when they walk through. Urged by Jeev to stand his ground, there was not much Amritinder could do but take it off. "For me it is like being asked to strip in public," he said. "I even told them that this is not security but harassment."
15/03/11 Moushumi Bora/Times of India
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