India's ambassador Meera Shankar frisked at US airport

Meera Shankar, India's ambassador to the US, was pulled from an airport security line and patted down by a Transportation Security Administration agent in Mississippi because she was wearing a sari, an act one state agency official called "unfortunate." See cartoon

India's sari-clad ambassador was pulled from an airport security line and patted down by a TSA agent in Mississippi after attending a conference, an act one state agency official called "unfortunate."

HT Image

Meera Shankar, India's ambassador to the United States, was subjected to the search on Saturday after speaking to an international studies program at Mississippi State University.

Witnesses said Shankar was told she was pulled from a security line because of her dress.

A Transportation Security Administration spokesman said diplomats are not exempt from pat-down searches and that bulky clothing is one reason for additional screening.

Officials at the Indian embassy in Washington declined to discuss what happened.

See cartoon