SRK was cleared in 66 minutes, say US officials

WASHINGTON: Allegations that Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan was ''detained'' for two hours on account of his last name are incorrect, US Customs and Border Protection officials said on Saturday, maintaining that the process of clearing him lasted a little more than an hour and even that delay was because his baggage had not arrived on the same flight he did.

In clarifications to the media aimed at giving their version of the episode that has created a ruckus in India -- and attracted wide coverage in the US -- CBP officials gave the following sequence of events. After a preliminary check at the immigration counter, Khan was recommended for a secondary check in a separate room (for reasons the CBP would not specify).

Because there were other people ahead of Khan in the room, this process took a little time and this was further extended because the airline had failed to load his checked luggage on the same flight. Still, the whole process took a little more than an hour, officials said, maintaining that ''C.B.P. strives to treat all travelers with respect and in a professional manner, while maintaining the focus of our mission to protect all citizens and visitors in the US.'' The New York Post quoted one official saying the whole process took 66 minutes.

Meanwhile, Khan reeled back a little from his initial rage against the security process, telling a news agency, ''I think it is a procedure that needs to be followed. But it is an unfortunate procedure.'' In engagements in Atlantic City and Chicago over the weekend, he said he does not feel like stepping on American soil anymore, but the ''love and affection of his fans'' would keep bringing him back. He also ruled out seeking an apology for the incident.

The Khan episode attracted plenty of attention in the US and across the world with media outlets and blogs holding forth on the incident. ''Wrath of Profiled Khan'' the New York Post said in a story, while the New York Times blogged on the incident under the headline ''Questioning a Bollywood VIP.'' The incident was also reported extensively in the Islamic world. ''Muslim name holds India Star at US airport,'' the portal Islam Online reported.

While thousands of fans reacted with blind outrage over the perceived slight to their hero, others saw felt the incident was blown out of proportion (variously by Khan, his supporters, and even the media). A few saw it as a publicity stunt. ''He’s come to America tons of time before and it has to happen when he was promoting ''My Name is Khan'' about a Muslim boy who goes to US post-9/11?'' asked Anirudh Bhati, a student from Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in an online message to ToI. ''Now I’m gonna watch the movie no matter what happens.''