Frisking an ex-President of India on the grounds that “As per policy we frisk everyone regardless of stature” is a stupid waste of time. It is exceedingly unlikely that Kalam is a terrorist and is carrying a bomb, and if you can save some time and bother by exempting a small category of people from security checks, it gives you a little more time to frisk more likely targets more thoroughly.
Unfortunately, this stupid policy is the only sensible response to a culture where people start expecting to be exempt on the basis of rank. While it is highly unlikely that Kalam is a terrorist, when sitting MPs, MLAs, etc. start demanding to be exempt from frisking on the basis of their ranks, the probability that one of them will either deliberately or inadvertantly end up carrying an explosive device to a plane goes up.
Actually it is good to frisk Kalam as he is a Muslim.
If we gave up all political correctness and frisked all muslims thoroughly irrespective of stature, it will save a lot of time for 5 billion other people on earth when flying.
thatisalsothere.
The key reason for the existence of protocol should be precisely this rather than honour, insult, etc.
Why can’t we just stop these silly security procedures? After all Obama is in the White House and the terrorists stopped being terrorists when Bush left.
Airport security checks are usually constrained for time?
You really need to take a break from blogging.
By the same token, granting discretionary powers to local airline staff to exempt certain VIPs from frisking, can increase the probability of a ‘wrong one’ going past without a check. Airlines, as much as possible, like to issue one set of common guidelines to be implemented all over the world. It will be too much of a hassle to customise rules for one country at a time and draw up a specific list of people to be exempted. And such lists have to be updated frequently, adding to the hassle. It is far easier for them to insist on 100% compliance, and face the consequence of an occasional flare-up such as what happened after the Kalam episode. The outcry will die down by itself.
Ritwik, things might have changed in this economic environment, but there actually used to be a time when there were queues at airports, and passengers were requested to come 3 hours before flight time for international flights.
Gaurav, true
raj, also true.
Avataram, right on. Even though the specialty of an average Moslem is not suicide bombing but wife-beating and polygamy.