Spicezee Bureau
Mumbai: A day after the high voltage drama over the detention and questioning of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan at the Newark airport in the US, the US Customs and Border Protection has come out with a statement and denied any racial angle to the incident.
Clearing the air on the racial twist to the whole episode, a cautious US Customs and Border Protection said that Shah Rukh was detained for questioning because his baggage haad not arrived. The department maintained that such uncalled for controversy is ‘incorrect allegation’. The department maintained that Shah Rukh was inspected because his baggage had not arrived and the entire process ended in one hour.
Shah Rukh Khan was released after the Indian embassy intervened.
He has gained back his savoir-faire and was trying to underplay the incident, but initially the actor was in a great shock after the detention.
Speaking exclusively to Spicezee.com , he said, “I am devoid; it hurts your self respect. I don’t want to make an ego issue out of it but I think I would avoid coming to this place now.”
The actor maintained, “I was made to answer silly questions which had no relation with a legal and a general interrogation. They didn’t let me use my phone for an hour. I was travelling alone as the US consulate hadn’t allowed a visa to my bodyguard who coincidentally has the same name. As it is I am quite reluctant in coming to the US and I would make sure that I avoid it in the future.”
The actor minced no words when he said, “This has happened with me before and that’s why it concerns me all the more. As it is I shy away from coming to the US because I don’t want to participate in their paranoia about religion and everything that the US has developed into over the years. I don’t want to say that it happened because I am a Muslim as it may lead to something else, but I think it had something to do with that only. We can only avoid this by not coming to the US.”
Elaborating the harrowing experience, the actor said, “I was taken to a room for questioning. They said my name kept popping up on the computer. Khan is a Muslim name, and I think the name is common on their checklist. I was waiting for my bags. I thought it was nice of them to take me to another room, but that was apparently a second check. I had my papers in order."
"I was really hassled at the airport because of my name being Khan...The couple of hours of interrogation wanting to know if I know anyone in America while all around people were vouching for me from India and Pakistan (sic)."
"Only these guys just would not let me through. Finally they allowed me to make a call, which I did and the Indian Consulate helped me through."
"It was absolutely uncalled for I think, me having just finished working there for more than a month...just a couple of weeks ago. They said I have a common name which is causing the delay...checked my bags...I felt angry and humiliated," said a deeply disturbed Khan.
First Published: Sunday, August 16, 2009, 21:59