Enraged by the strip search by Customs officials at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Rajya Sabha MP, P. V. Abdul Wahab, has written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking action against Customs officials who allegedly humiliated his son Javed Abdul Wahab on his way to Kerala from UAE at the airport on November 1.
In the letter dated November 3, Mr. Abdul Wahab alleged that his son was intercepted by Customs at the international airport and strip-searched without following the due procedure, despite he cooperating with all their instructions. The Assistant Commissioner of Customs in charge at the Airport subjected him to humiliation beyond measure to which no ordinary citizen of this country should be treated with, he said in the letter.
A man of clean antecedents and who has never been involved or accused of any wrongdoing throughout his lifetime, Javed, a frequent flyer and a businessman, was subjected to stripping off his clothes and an x-ray of his stomach and private area, citing a vague and bogus lookout order. The officer was also very abusive and disrespectful to him during the time of checking, which left an irreversible trauma on his psyche, said the letter.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Abdul Wahab said “I believe inexperience was the main reason for the hasty decision of the Customs officer, which could have been avoided.”
A senior Customs officer said, there was an unprecedented rise in the smuggling of gold through the airports concealed in body cavities. In order to avoid a delay, the passenger was subjected to X-ray screening and he was let off soon after the procedure. The incident came to light recently when Mr. Wahab spoke about the trauma his son suffered during a speech at an event. In his speech, he also said his son’s appearance may have aroused the suspicion of the Customs as he sported a beard.
