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Journalism of Courage
The US has ruled out any pattern or racial profiling in the detention of Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan twice in the US in the past three years.
I wouldnt necessarily look at this as some sort of pattern,but rather two separate incidents, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said,after the incident drew criticism from the Indian government.
Toner suggested that people wanting to avoid such a situation should inform the US Embassy in New Delhi about their stature and their travel plans. There is a programme whereby travellers can alert,identify their status before they depart via the Embassy. And thats one approach or avenue to take, he said.
He,however,ruled out that it was a case of racial profiling. I think we all know that thats clearly not the case. You know,the fact of the matter is that tens of thousands of Muslims travel to and from the US every day and are not detained or delayed, Toner said. We have obviously the utmost respect for Mr Khan and his work,both as an artiste and a humanitarian,and we offer our apologies for any discomfort or inconvenience he may have suffered.
Indias Deputy Ambassador to the US Arun K Singh conveyed New Delhis protest to Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake. Lalit K Jha
