Indo-Canadian harassed at O’Hare Airport

An Indian Canadian was treated roughly at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport and forced to fly to India after the cancellation of her passport by US Immigration authorities.

Thiruvananthapuram-born Indo-Canadian Berna Cruz was stopped by Immigration officers whose suspicions were aroused because her last name was not ‘‘Singh’’ but Cruz. Her protests that there are ‘‘non-Singhs’’ of Indian origin and that there are Christians like her who have Portuguese names were of no avail.

‘‘I was trying to explain to them, but they did not want to listen to anything, they did not want to see anything,’’ Cruz was quoted as saying by Canadian daily Toronto Star.

Cruz said an officer asked her why her surname was not ‘‘Singh’’ and commented that it was clever of her to use a Spanish name. ‘‘It was total abuse,’’ she said adding ‘‘I want to see them (officers responsible) punished’’.