BENGALURU: After a Bengaluru based woman was allegedly strip-searched at Frankfurt airport, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj has sought a report on this issue.
"Raveesh - Plz send me a report on this. @CGIFrankfurt (sic)," Swaraj tweeted to Indian consul general in Frankfurt Raveesh Kumar.
On Wednesday, 30-year-old Shruthi Basappa, who was traveling from Bengaluru to Iceland was asked to strip during a security check by Frankfurt airport officers. She took the issue to social media, alleging racial profiling, which drew the attention of media and authorities concerned.
Shruthi Basappa's facebook post said, "I would like to know if it is regular protocol to ask passengers to remove their clothing, be it their underwear as part of 'random security checks'. I am an Indian passport holder, my husband is Icelandic and I have an Icelandic residence permit and we were on our way to our next transit flight to Berlin. We were travelling to Iceland from India, via Frankfurt with our 4-year-old daughter when I was asked to move aside for this 'random check', no explanations offered. I was taken into a room, and was asked to lift my dress/ take it off so that I could be checked to make sure I wasn't 'carrying anything under my clothes.
“This whole ordeal happened in front of my 4-year-old. I was given no explanation as to why I was put through this ordeal. I specifically requested for a regular scan, using whatever equipment is in place despite the fact that I had just gone through a body scan, given that 1. It is absolutely ridiculous to be stripping in an airport no less, for no reason. 2. It is violating. My constant requests to be patted down gently because of a recent abdominal surgery (proof of which I was carrying in hand) was constantly ignored and resulted in being shouted at aggressively by the woman in charge. She then proceeded to call her supervisor who parroted the same lines about how they wanted me to take my dress off. I would really like to hear from the #FrankfurtAirport authorities if this is the norm? Why are passengers being asked to take their clothes off? I hate to play the race card here, but I was the only person pulled aside and peeking at my husband instantly changed the woman's mind about the strip search that was now a regular pat down. I'd appreciate a response from you at the earliest.”
A large section of Twitter users criticised the act of the Frankfurt airport officials.
Raja Sampath @raja_beach_boy tweeted, Racism is how Europeans have thrived through their history. Stupid to expect them to be otherwise now!
Debarati Majumder @debarati_m tweeted, Shruthi Basappa was victimised at Frankfurt airport because of her skin color. Humans are more or less racists & authorities are humans