Frisk those who frisk us: Praful

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has advocated a tit-for-tat policy for countries subjecting Indian diplomats to enhanced security checks at their airports.

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel has advocated a tit-for-tat policy for countries subjecting Indian diplomats to enhanced security checks at their airports.

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US airport authorities singled out two top Indian diplomats for enhanced security checks recently.

“Registering a protest is ok but one thing should be made clear that no special facilities should be extended to diplomats and VIPs of countries which do not extend the same facilities to us,” Patel told Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

Patel said India should exempt diplomats of only those countries which accord the same treatment to Indian diplomats on their shores.

According to the Vienna Convention of 1969, adopted by 111 countries, foreign diplomats are to be given special treatment by airport authorities in a host country.

But on December 4, India’s ambassador to the US Meera Shankar, clad in a sari, was subjected to a ‘pat down’ search at the Mississippi airport.

Five days before that, Hardeep Puri, India’s permanent representative to the UN was asked to remove his turban during a security check at the Houston airport.