Shahrukh Khan’s detention causes an international incident

The row over Shahrukh Khan’s treatment at the hands of US Customs has now reached international proportions with India asking the US to explain why a leading Bollywood film star was allegedly detained for over two hours at Newark airport.

The actor, who was till recently shooting in the US for his film My Name is Khan, which ironically touches on racial profiling, said he felt angry and humiliated by the experience and believes he was stopped because of his Muslim surname.

Shahrukh, who was on his way to Chicago to attend celebrations for India’s independence day, was released only after India's embassy in the US intervened.
King Khan told the Press Trust of India that he had been released after he was allowed to message a politician in India, who contacted the Indian embassy in Washington on his behalf.

But US customs officials denied that Shahrukh had been detained, saying he was questioned for 66 minutes.

Shahrukh, however, is trying to avoid an international incident and attempted to calm the situation whilst in Chicago, he said: "I think it's a procedure that needs to be followed, but an unfortunate procedure."

Elmer Camacho, a spokesman for the US Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, said the questioning was part of the agency's routine process to screen foreign travelers, according to AP reports.

The US ambassador to India, Timothy Roehmer, said the embassy was looking into what happened.

From Delhi, Mr Roehmer said: "Shahrukh Khan, the actor and global icon, is a very welcome guest in the United States. Many Americans love his films."

He added that the embassy was trying to "ascertain the facts of the case - to understand what took place".

Is this all being blown out of proportion?