One can never be at a loss for news in India. Just as our lawmakers wrap up their 3 week long winter vacation, officially called the ‘winter session of parliament’, and as the ministry of external affairs seethes over the ignominy of having one of their diplomats frisked at an American airport, we have another “Breaking News” keeping our newsmen (and women!) busy! In another act of apparent insolence, the American airport authorities at Austin,TX asked Mr. Hardeep Puri, India’s envoy to the UN and a practising Sikh, to remove his turban!
And this comes at a time when the Indian government had already expressed its displeasure over the recent patting-down of Meera Shankar, the Indian ambassador to the United States. Now these two incidents bring to our attention some very poignant questions. Are the Americans paranoid about security? Or do the security personnel at the American airports resort to such measures out of sheer racist intent? And most importantly, should diplomats, emissaries and envoys be accorded special treatment at airports in the first place? Let us try and find the answers.
Americans in general are a little psychopathic when it comes to something concerning their security. And it is not very difficult to see why. This nation and its people were the victims of one of the most bizarre and devastating terror strikes of our times, when two Al Qaeda affiliated pilots rammed their airplanes into the twin towers of a business complex just about a decade ago. The attack killed a couple of thousand people, and sowed the seeds of insecurity and fear in the minds of countless other Americans. It is very understandable then, that the security measures in place in that country are stringent. This atleast ensures that terror strikes of formidable magnitudes do not recur in the US. India, in contrast, never seems to learn. We had our parliament attacked by terrorists barely three months after 9/11 had rattled the world. After the initial hullabaloo and the promises for better security (mind you, the person convicted has still not been punished!) the matter evidently waned from public memory and security at public places were slackened. Only to be punished by assailants who chose to strike the financial capital this time, blowing off trains packed with unsuspecting Mumbaikars. And barely two years after this came the most audacious of strikes with ten gunmen reaching Mumbai in inflated speedboats and creating havoc for well over two days. It is time our law-enforcing agencies took a leaf out of the Americans’ books and looked at the security of citizens more seriously.
Coming to the question of racist intent, my personal experiences at US airports urge me to reply in the affirmative! Yes, the security personnel at American airports are boorish and more so when a brown-skin approaches them. I have been ‘randomly‘ selected for special checks, which involves being isolated in small glass chambers and getting frisked in front of a hundred apprehensive eyes (it can be quite humiliating), on almost every other trip to the airport! And while I understand what causes this, I refuse to believe the ‘randomness‘ of this operation! Or is it a truly random process that somehow goes askew everytime it sees a South Asian? However, fully aware that my stand could possibly invite the wrath of my countrymen, I would say every possible measure to ensure security for all should be carried out. And if that includes patting down people of a particular race, so be it! I would rather be termed a racist and foil a possible terror strike than be held accountable for the demise of hundreds.
That leaves us with our third and most relevant question to find an answer to. I do not perceive a single good reason that can justify the special treatment. Yes they represent our nation outside the country and at some very important international forums, but is it reason enough to hold them above civilian rules? Diplomatic immunity was a necessity during the Cold War, with diplomats working in hostile countries always vulnerable against politically-charged attacks accusing them of espionage. But it has long since outlived its usefulness. And with multiple cases of the immunity being put to contentious use coming to the fore in the last few years, the practice surely has lost its relevance in a world filled with crime and terrorism.
What does irk me though, is that Mr. Puri had been asked to take off his pagri or dastar, which forms a very important part of the Sikh culture and faith. And while personally I do not endorse religious attire of any kind, every person is allowed to have his own view on the subject. One that should be respected. Asking a Sikh to take his turban off is as irreverent as asking a Catholic priest to take his Cassock off, or a Muslim woman to take off her burqa or hijab! The Americans cannot claim to be strangers to the Sikh pagri either. Sikhism is no obscure religion being practised by a handful in some remote corner of the world. It has a rich history and is one of the fastest growing faiths in the world. And while the US security personnel are not supposed to know the history of the Khalsa, they would have definitely seen on several occassions the Indian Prime Minister sporting a blue turban. Or a Sant Singh Chatwal, hotelier and a close friend of the Clintons, wear a reddish one.
So the point here is, the response to the frisking incidents by the media and the government of India has been one of gross overreaction. We should campaign against the hurting of religious sentiments of fellow Indians, but not for diplomatic immunity. In India though, even filmstars and celebrities enjoy a kind of immunity! The legendary Canadian popstar Bryan Adams was frisked at the Toronto airport just last week, and he was quite cool about it. Just imagine A.R. Rahman getting the same treatment at an Indian airport! I can almost foresee the DMK or the AIADMK holding up proceedings of the parliament for at least two days in protest! However it is time we realize that absolutely no one should be above the law, not celebrities and not even the diplomats and envoys. But if the patting-down of our officials still rankles us, then rather than whining about it, ‘an eye for an eye’ is the approach to be adopted! I am aware of what Mahatma Gandhi had said about the strategy, but frankly, the easiest solution to our woes would be to frisk an American diplomat the next time he visits an Indian airport!