SRK Sunshine Khan Fan Club # 44!! - Page 95

Vir Singhvi (tv journalist, anchor) tweets:

"Completely shocked by the way Shah Rukh Khan was treated by US immigration. If this is how he is treated, what about ordinary Muslims"

"Hillary Clinton takes so much money from Indians like Chatwal that she owes an apology to Shah Rukh and those who do not pay Bill or her"

"The real secret of the war on terror is that it is run by morons. No wonder Bin Laden is sitting pretty while the likes of SRK are hassled"

"What's the point electing a President called Hussein if your officers think that Khan is a terrorist name? Look what happened to Shah Rukh"

..

India takes up Shahrukh case with US

PTISaturday, August 15, 2009 13:59 IST Email

New Delhi: With Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan being detained and questioned at Newark airport, India today took up the issue with the US Embassy here which said it was ascertaining details about the incident involving the "global icon" who was welcome to America.

"The matter was taken up with the US Embassy," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said soon after the reports about detention of the actor reached here. He said the Embassy was ascertaining factual details of the incident.

Consul General of India in New York is in touch with Khan, Prakash added. US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer issued a separate statement, saying "We are trying to ascertain the facts of the case--to understand what took place."

Describing Shahrukh Khan as a "global icon", Roemer said "he is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films."

2009 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-takes-up-shahrukh-case-with-us_1282621

Shahrukh Khan incident has lowered image of US security establishment, says ex-envoy to US

New Delhi, Aug.15 (ANI): India's former ambassador to the United States Naresh Chandra on Saturday said that the detention of Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan at Newark International Airport for two hours, clearly exhibited the "ham-handed" approach of American security agencies.

He told ANI over phone that a formal complaint about this harassment should be reported to the US State Department.

Reacting to the incident, Ambassador Chandra said: " The authorities should have taken maximum 10 -15 minutes for questioning Shahrukh, but it took two hours. It is great incompetence and has lowered the image of (US) Homeland Security".

Sources said that Khan was indeed detained at the US airport and questioned for two hours. They said he was released only after Indian Officials intervened.

Sources here said that the Consulate General of New York was in touch with Shahrukh Khan and the matter has been taken up with the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

According to sources, the Indian consulate could register a formal complaint against the security agencies involved in this "embarrassing" incident.

Some experts said that a formal complaint should be sent to the US envoy in Delhi.

Chandra, however, said that making it a big diplomatic issue would be counterproductive because the incident had nothing to do with US policy, but was the handiwork of lowly officers deployed at the airport. (ANI)

[url]http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/shahrukh-khan-incident-has-lowered-image-of-us-security-establishment-says-ex-envoy-to-us_100232886.html[/url

Shah Rukh Khan detained and questioned at US airport

Colleagues express disgust

Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan was on Saturday (August 15) questioned for two hours at New Jersey's Newark airport over his surname and was freed only after Indian diplomats intervened.

The Indian government and entertainment industry reacted furiously after the 43-year-old actor, named by Newsweek last year as one of the world's 50 most powerful men, revealed how he was detained and stopped from even using his mobile telephone.

Speaking to CNN-IBN channel on telephone from the US, Shah Rukh appeared to shrug off the embarrassing episode saying he had suffered similar treatment previously too.

The incident happened as the hugely popular actor, whose fans number millions in India and abroad, was on his way to Chicago to attend an event related to India's Independence Day.

Other Bollywood stars like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan too are set to attend the function.

"They checked me because I was an Asian," the actor said. "They wanted to know why I came to the US and where I am staying."

Shah Rukh's manager Niloufer Qureshi earlier told IANS over telephone from Mumbai: "He was detained because his surname is Khan. He was kept until officials from the Indian embassy intervened."

Asked if he got into trouble because of his giveaway Muslim name, Shah Rukh, who is married to a Hindu, said: "Certain countries have issues with my name." He quickly added: "I am very proud of my name."

Shah Rukh admitted that he became "greatly worried" as the American officials piled him with questions - mainly about his travel to the US.

The actor said a large number of Indians, including organisers of the Chicago event, were waiting outside at the airport to receive him. Indian diplomats came to his rescue when they heard about his plight.

He said it was ironic that the incident happened on the eve of August 15 - when freedom is celebrated by Indians.

"I personally feel it is over and done," he said, sounding conciliatory. Asked if he felt like reacting in a similar way, he replied: "If they want I can frisk Angelina Jolie when she is here (India)."

Undoubtedly one of Bollywood's biggest and most highly paid stars, Shah Rukh has acted in nearly 70 films in a career spanning 17 years.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni Saturday reacted angrily to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan being detained at a US airport, saying it was not justified.

"I don't think that this manner of detaining the name of religion is justified. But in the United States of America several examples have surfaced where frisking takes place more than required, according to us," Soni, who was the tourism minister in the previous government, told reporters here.

"I have always felt - even when I was frisked there - that the way they frisk us we should do the same for them here," she added.

"He was detained because his surname is Khan. He was kept until officials from the Indian embassy intervened. Now he has been released," Niloufer Qureshi, Shah Rukh's manager, told IANS over telephone from Mumbai.

In April, former president A.P.J. Kalam was also frisked at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here as he was boarding a flight of US carrier Continental Airlines.

The incident had created waves in parliament in July, with MPs from across the spectrum expressing outrage over Kalam being reportedly subjected to a full body check and even asked to remove his footwear as he waited on the aerobridge to board the Newark-bound flight.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry Spokesman Vishnu Prakash has said India has taken up the issue with the US embassy and the consul general of

India in New York is in touch with Shah Rukh.

"The matter was taken up with the US embassy," Prakash said.

In a statement, US Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said: "We are trying to ascertain the facts of the case - to understand what took place."

Shah Rukh was a "global icon" and "he is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films," the envoy added.

Describing Shah Rukh as the "pride of India", Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi expressed surprise he was detained at the airport.

"Shah Rukh Khan is the pride of India. I am quite surprised that he was detained in the Newark airport," Ravi told IANS on the phone from Kochi.

Here's what King Khan's friends and colleagues had to say:

Karan Johar: I am shocked and upset...feeling terrible for Shah Rukh.

Priyanka Chopra: Shocking, disturbing and downright disgraceful. It's such behaviour that fuels hatred and racism. Shah Rukh Khan is a world figure for god's sake. Get real!

Kabir Khan: When I heard this news, I was so surprised...it has almost become a routine - if you have a Muslim name you are bound to be questioned. It happened with me thrice in the US. I was stopped by immigration officials for three to five hours... they don't care whether you are a celebrity or whoever. But when it comes to Shah Rukh, it doesn't take more than 20 seconds to figure out who he is - any search engine (on the Internet) will give more information on him than Hollywood stars Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt and despite that if it took them two hours to figure out, then its harassment. Post 9/11 it is prejudice to have a person's name and religion checked and it is very discouraging as well.

Pritish Nandy: This is the problem with law enforcers worldwide...Truly obnoxious. Cops don't want to recognise anybody. They love to show their power and authority, especially in the US.

Kunal Kohli: It's really disgusting. Even if they had done a Google search on their mobiles, they would have seen who he is. What were they checking for two hours on their super computers? To detain him for two hours is ridiculous, disgusting and an insult to us Indians.

Arindam Chaudhari: Shah Rukh has just finished his film "My Name Is Khan" in which his character tries to prove to the Americans that he is not a terrorist. I'm sure he never thought it would happen in real life too...What a shame! It's shocking and shameful because I am sure Shah Rukh would have had to explain who he is. It's Shah Rukh so it's become big news. But there many who constantly go through this every day. It's really sad.

Eesha Koppikhar: I am not sure of the exact events but if he was detained just because he is a Muslim with Khan as a last name, it is very wrong.

http://www.masala.com/14100-shah-rukh-detained-and-questioned-at-us-airport

The United States has done it again.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ] was detained for at least two hours early Saturday morning at the Newark airport in the United States. He was reportedly released after two-hour grilling.

"I was taken aback...I was taken to a room where there were several others waiting for secondary immigration checks," a visibly upset Khan said, while speaking about the incident.


The Bollywood actor said he kept telling the authorities that he was an actor and requested them to allow him to speak to his contacts in the US, but was disallowed to use his phone.

He said the immigration officials told him since his name popped up on their computer and he needed to be questioned.

Khan said there were some immigration officials who knew him and vouched for him but they declined to entertain his plea, saying they have to follow rules.

He said after he was stopped he sent messages to his home and his secretary and Congress MP Rajiv Shukla, who informed the Indian Mission which came to his rescue.

"I have always been worried about travelling to America. I shy away from all this. I don't look like a terrorist going to do anything to the country.

"I did feel bad. I felt angry. I am glad my family wasn't there. God knows what they would have done to them," Khan said.

"I am always reluctant to come down here (US). They always do it and it's odd travelling alone. My guard wasn't given visa from India and I was feeling disturbed. They kept on asking silly and irrelevant questions like phone numbers and hotel number," Khan said.

Many Americans love SRK [ Images ]: US envoy

This is what the statement from the US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer says.

"We are trying to ascertain the facts of the case -- to understand what took place," said the Ambassador. "Shah Rukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films."

Text: PTI

Image: Shah Rukh Khan performing at an event in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Friday evening, a couple of hours after he was detained at Newark airport.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/aug/15/shahrukh-khan-detained-at-us-airport.htm

...

I wish I was in India on I-Day: SRK

Actor Shah Rukh Khan [ Images ], who was detained at the Newark Liberty Airport on Friday night and interrogated for two hours, participated at an event advertised as 'Dinner with Shah Rukh Khan' at the Trump Taj Mahal [ Images ] Casino, two hours after the harrowing incident.

Though he jokingly referred to the incident during his performance, SRK [ Images ] spoke out strongly against his treatment at the New Jersey airport after the event, saying "it was not a good feeling" when the security officials took him to a separate room for questioning.

"I appreciated my independence a million times more today, I wish I was in India on Independence Day," Khan told a news channel.

The Indian Consulate in New York is in touch with Khan, and the Indian government has taken up the issue with the United States administration.

Photographs: Gunjesh Desai

Image: Shah Rukh Khan relaxes in his hotel room at the Trump Taj Hotel [ Images ] at Atlantic City and (inset) spends time with an young fan.

Spokesperson of US Customs and Border Protection Force says Shah Rukh was detained as formality and delay happened more due to his misplaced bags than their questioning; Govt takes up matter with US

ASEEM CHHABRA AND LAKSHMI IYER

India and Shah Rukh Khan may have gone into a tizz about the star being detained at Newark airport on Friday night but American authorities maintain that it was a "routine formality," and have accused us of blowing the event out of proportion.

Shah Rukh Khan who was travelling to the US for a show at Atlantic City, New Jersey, was held back after the computer at the Customs red-flagged his name. Shah Rukh who usually travels with an entourage was travelling all by himself except for his assistant Subhash Jain. He was stopped and taken to a separate room called the Passport Control Secondary.

"We did not detain him for two hours [as reported], but one hour and six minutes to be precise," said Elmer Camacho, public affairs liaison for the US Customs and Border Protection Force, the federal government group that has the right to detain people at immigration and Customs checkpoints. "The airline he was travelling in had misplaced his bags and the time it took them to locate his bags is included in this one hour six minutes." Shah Rukh has said he was allowed to make only one telephone call and he contacted his friend and Congress member of Parliament Rajiv Shukla. "He sounded very upset," said Shukla. "He said he'd been detained because of his name. They asked him unnecessary questions and wanted him to name people he knew in the US."

After Shukla called the appropriate people, it is believed that the government took up the matter with the US Ambassador in Delhi, Timothy J Roemer, before the star was allowed to go.

While Camacho refused to go into details of the questioning, citing passengers' privacy rights, he said the actor had not been ill-treated in any way. "It was a normal process, part of our security routine. He was taken to the Passport Control Secondary, which in the afternoons when several flights land together can get very very packed. From people being questioned to those who have migrated to the US, all are called into this room and people may have to await their turn till their name is called out."

SRK himself termed the detaining as "uncalled for. They said I have a common name which is causing the delay... checked my bags... I felt angry and humiliated."

India has since officially taken up the issue with the US Embassy in New Delhi, which said it was ascertaining details about the incident involving the "global icon" who was welcome to America. "He is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films," said Roemer.

Rajiv Shukla who also heads the Indo-US Parliamentary Forum said there have been several incidents of racial profiling of Indians. "They have done it to late PV Narasimha Rao. They removed his dhoti, they have done it with NDA ministers like George Fernandes. In fact a number of film stars go abroad and suffer. Many simply do not talk about it ," Shukla said. "They even did this with BJP MP Kirti Azad because of his surname. He was with a Parliamentary delegation to the US, yet he was not spared."

I&B Minister Ambika Soni called for giving American visitors to India similar treatment while news agency IANS quoted SRK as saying, in response to a question whether he felt like meting out similar treatment to the Americans, "If they want I can frisk Angelina Jolie when she is here (in India)."

Good to know his good humour has been restored.

"No Apologies Needed" Shah Rukh Khan Said

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6f2090DCiw