US 'overdid' Shah Rukh's questioning, says PC

 
“Had it been for 10 or even 20 minutes, one can understand. But one fails to understand how could they hold him for two long hours,” said Chidambaram, on the sidelines of the annual meet of the state chief ministers and the police chiefs on internal security scenario in the country.

“It takes maximum of 10 or 20 minutes, even if you have to frisk a person after stripping him. They have simply overdone it. And to add to the complications, they allowed SRK to make a call only after two hours. Had they allowed him to make the call in first 15 minutes, there would have been no controversy,” said the minister.

Asked if India too would treat visiting US dignitaries or their high-profile citizens in the same manner, Chidambaram said: “We will tell them that we do frisking and checking only in a civilised manner.” The minister lamented that such an unsavoury treatment was meted out to a high-profile citizen of a country where, “we send our joint secretaries to the tarmac to receive visiting dignitaries.”

Reacting to the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Sunday said the government will take up the issue with the US government at its highest level. “We will take the issue with the United States government strongly. Such incidents involving Indians due to their religion or nationality should not happen,” said Patel.

Khan was detained on Saturday morning at the Newark airport where he had arrived to attend India’s Independence Day celebrations with Indian diaspora.