MIssissippi/New Delhi: The Indian Government is yet to react on a report that suggested the Indian Ambassador to the US, Meera Shankar, was pulled from an airport security line and patted down by a US securityman in Mississippi despite being told of her diplomatic status.
The media reports said a police officer escorted Shankar to Jackson-Evers International Airport on Saturday for a flight to Baltimore, and she was taken to a VIP waiting room.
The officer informed airport police that Shankar was an ambassador, but she was later pulled from a security line and patted down by a female Transportation Security Administration agent.
Witnesses said she was subjected to hands-on search.
The Clarion-Ledger newspaper of Jackson quoted witnesses as saying Shankar was told she was singled out for additional screening because of her dress, a sari, that she wore.
Shankar was about to board a flight to Baltimore after attending the Mississippi State University's programme.
The hands-on search last week embarrassed the university officials, who invited Shankar to give a speech for an international studies program.
``It was a wonderful program, maybe the best we've had, (but) this stupid incident ruined the whole thing,'' said Janos Radvanyi, chairperson of Mississippi State University's international studies department. ``We are sending her a letter of apology.''
The Transportation Security Administration said the diplomats are not exempt from the searches and that Shankar ``was screened in accordance with TSA's security policies and procedures.''
The TSA spokesman, Nicholas Kimball , said there are a number of factors that could prompt a pat-down, including bulky clothing, but he said the agency doesn't generally discuss specific cases.
Radvanyi said it took weeks to arrange for Shankar to speak at the program, but he's concerned she won't return and that her treatment at the airport might discourage other international guests from coming.