Poochandi

December 09, 2010

Indian Ambassador to the US Meera Shankar was pulled from an airport security line and patted down by an American security agent in Mississippi despite being told of her diplomatic status.

The incident took place on December 4 at the Jackson- Evers International Airport where sari-clad Shankar was about to board a flight to Baltimore after attending the Mississippi State University's programme, the Clarion-Ledger reported.

Shankar presented her diplomatic papers to officers and was escorted by a Mississippi Development Authority representative and an airport security officer, but witnesses said she was subjected to the hands-on search.

She was taken to a VIP waiting room despite being told she was an ambassador. She was later pulled from a security line and patted down by a female Transportation Security Administration agent.