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US PAT-DOWN DIPLOMATIC STORM.India termed as 'unacceptable' the 'pat down' search Indian ambassador Meera Shankar was subjected to in the US, the second time in three months, and has demaded an official apology?'I am rather surprised by the way the Indian ambassador to the US has been treated. This has happened for a second time in three months,' said External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna?"Let me be frank, this is unacceptable to India. We are going to take it up with the government of US that such unpleasant incidents do not recur,' said Krishna.?He added that there were 'certain well-established conventions, well-established practices, as to how members of the diplomatic corps are treated in a given country'.?On Dec 4, Shankar was subjected to a rigorous public 'pat down' at the Jackson-Evers International Airport after a visit as a guest of the Mississippi State University.?According to The Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Shankar was singled out from a group of 30 passengers and pulled aside. Witnesses told the paper that she was chosen as she was wearing a sari, the traditional Indian dress.?Apparently, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines do not have any exceptions for foreign dignitaries, but officers have the discretion to pick and choose, depending on whether they set off metal detectors, the newspaper said. The Indian ambassador did not set off any alarms.?At the same time, TSA allows additional screenings when passengers are wearing 'bulky' clothing.?The Clarion-Ledger added that Shankar had asked for a private security check, but she was led to clear box for the 'pat down' in public view..The TSA has come under fire for new security measures including body scanners and pat-downs that critics say intrude on the privacy of airline passengers..Picture Shows:The US President, Mr. Barack Obama being greeted by Chairperson of the National Advisory Council, Sonia Gandhi (wearing a sari) at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, in
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US PAT-DOWN DIPLOMATIC STORM.India termed as 'unacceptable' the 'pat down' search Indian ambassador Meera Shankar was subjected to in the US, the second time in three months, and has demaded an official apology?'I am rather surprised by the way the Indian ambassador to the US has been treated. This has happened for a second time in three months,' said External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna?"Let me be frank, this is unacceptable to India. We are going to take it up with the government of US that such unpleasant incidents do not recur,' said Krishna.?He added that there were 'certain well-established conventions, well-established practices, as to how members of the diplomatic corps are treated in a given country'.?On Dec 4, Shankar was subjected to a rigorous public 'pat down' at the Jackson-Evers International Airport after a visit as a guest of the Mississippi State University.?According to The Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Shankar was singled out from a group of 30 passengers and pulled aside. Witnesses told the paper that she was chosen as she was wearing a sari, the traditional Indian dress.?Apparently, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines do not have any exceptions for foreign dignitaries, but officers have the discretion to pick and choose, depending on whether they set off metal detectors, the newspaper said. The Indian ambassador did not set off any alarms.?At the same time, TSA allows additional screenings when passengers are wearing 'bulky' clothing.?The Clarion-Ledger added that Shankar had asked for a private security check, but she was led to clear box for the 'pat down' in public view..The TSA has come under fire for new security measures including body scanners and pat-downs that critics say intrude on the privacy of airline passengers..Picture Shows:The US President, Mr. Barack Obama being greeted by Chairperson of the National Advisory Council, Sonia Gandhi (wearing a sari) at a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, in