Discrimination /profiling at MIA alleged by SDPI, director assures check

Discrimination /profiling at MIA alleged by SDPI, director assures check

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, April 4,2017: It is reported that DK, Dakshina Kannada unit of SDPI,Social Democratic Party of India stopping short of accusing immigration officials at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) of ’racial profiling’, has urged AAI, Airports Authority of India to address the issue.

SDPI leaders, who met airport director J T Radhakrishna on April 3, Monday, explained the problems that travellers flying out of MIA have been facing, especially the first time flyers headed overseas for jobs.

Iqbal Bellare, district secretary of SDPI, told reporters,  that the airport director, who gave a patient hearing to the delegation, assured to address the issues raised by them with the authorities concerned. Senior officials of the airport management team present at the meeting too have taken note of the concerns expressed by the delegation and have assured to sort out the issues internally.

While a press note issued by SDPI mentions that international passengers travelling from MIA, in general, and Muslims, in particular, face discrimination, Iqbal, however, maintained that the behaviour of the immigration staff is hard-nosed towards all.


Citing six specific instances of harassment meted out to passengers in the recent past, Iqbal said the airport director has assured to go through the CCTV footage and initiate action against officials if they had erred in their duty.


A senior official from immigration bureau attached to MIA told TOI that most of the incidents referred to by the SDPI delegation occurred either at the airport entrance handled by the CISF or at the airlines counter. Not going in to reasons why the travelling public is squarely putting all the blame on the bureau, the official said the bureau staff are doing a god job and are trying to help travelling passengers to the best of their abilities.


Most passport holders, who travel on ECR (Emigration Check Required) with a tourist visa and with a valid return ticket, end up working in the country where they are travelling to as tourists. Their travel agents cancel return tickets, the official said adding such passengers are not able to answer the places of tourist interest in the place where they are visiting and get irked when the bureau staff pose these questions. However, errant staff will be checked, the official assured.