Sudhaa Chandran receives apology from CISF after facing issues for artificial limb at airport

Dancer-actor Sudhaa Chandran had appealed to PM Narendra Modi to make air travel procedures easier for individuals with prosthetic limbs.

Pic courtesy: Instagram

New Delhi: After TV actress and classical dancer Sudhaa Chandran recalled her ordeal at the airport where she was asked to remove her artificial limb at the security check, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) issued an apology to her on Twitter.

On Thursday, she had made an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government to look into security procedures for individuals with prosthetic limbs.

The 56-year-old actress, in a recent Instagram video, was heard recalling her ordeal at the airport where she was asked to remove her artificial limb at the security check even after she requested the CISF officers to do an ETD (Explosive Trace Detector) for her artificial limb.

On Friday, the Twitter handle for CISF wrote, "We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience caused to Ms. Sudhaa Chandran. As per protocol, prosthetics are to be removed for security checks only under exceptional circumstances. 1/2."

They also said, "We will examine why the lady personnel concerned requested Ms. Sudhaa Chandran to remove the prosthetics. We assure Ms.Sudhaa Chandran that all our personnel will be sensitised again on the protocols so that no inconvenience is caused to travelling passengers. 2/2"

Take a look at their tweets:

We will examine why the lady personnel concerned requested Ms. Sudhaa Chandran to remove the prosthetics. We assure Ms.Sudhaa Chandran that all our personnel will be sensitised again on the protocols so that no inconvenience is caused to travelling passengers. 2/2 — CISF (@CISFHQrs) October 22, 2021

In the video, Sudhaa had appealed directly to PM Modi, saying, "Good evening, this is a very personal note that I want to tell to our dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, this is an appeal to the central government, I am Sudhaa Chandran, an actress and dancer by profession, who has danced with an artificial limb and created history and made my country very proud of me."

"But every time that I go on my professional visits, each time, am stopped at the airport and when I request them at the security, to the CISF officers that please do an ETD (Explosive Trace Detector) for my artificial limb, they still want me to remove my artificial limb and show it to them. Is this humanly possible, Modi ji? Is this what our country is talking about? Is this the respect that a woman gives to another woman in our society? It is my humble request to you Modi ji that please give senior citizens a card that says they are senior citizen", she concluded.

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A post shared by Sudhaa Chandran (@sudhaachandran)

Sudhaa is a prominent Bharatnatyam dancer known for accomplishing this feat despite her prosthetic limb. For the unversed, she had lost her leg in a road accident in 1981 and after that, she has adopted a prosthetic limb in place of her amputated leg.

She is most popularly known for her roles in shows such as 'Kaahin Kissii Roz', 'Naagin' season 1, 2, 3 and 4 and 'Deivam Thandha Veedu'.

The actress won the National Film Award – Special Jury Award for the Telugu film Mayuri in 1985. Interestingly, the film was based on her life.