Shah Rukh Khan detained at US airport
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was allegedly detained by US
authorities for 90 minutes at White Plains airport, which serves New
York. The actor, who arrived on a private plane, was on the way to Yale
University for a function. It is not clear why Khan was detained at the
airport.Khan was earlier detained for two hours in 2009 at Newark
airport and was released after India’s embassy in the US intervened.
The actor had then said he was stopped because he had a Muslim name.
US customs officials had denied that Khan had been detained, saying he
was questioned.
The Press Trust of India news agency quoted sources as saying that
Khan was stopped and questioned for over two hours before being cleared
by immigration officials on Thursday. He was freed after Yale University
officials contacted homeland security and customs officials, the BBC’s
Salim Rizvi in New York said.”Khan was very very upset over the
episode,” the CNN-IBN channel said, quoting unnamed sources. Later, he
told the students of Yale University that he had been stopped and
questioned at the airport.
But, he made light of the incident and joked about it. “Whenever I
want to stay at the airport, I should come to the US.
“They [officials] asked me what my height was, and I lied. Then they
asked me what was my colour. I lied and said I was white,” he said.
Khan has appeared in more than 70 films and is considered one of
India’s most recognisable and popular celebrities.
Courtesy: BBC
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