WASHINGTON DC : Indian security Concerns during the Prime Minister’s visit resulted in the Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG) himself getting detained by US security officials at one point and in serious charges or racism being made against those making the security arrangements for the PMs visit to Boston. The hotel where the Prime Minister stayed likely to be sued by the Massachusetts Commission against Discrimination for agreeing to security requests that only White employees serve the Indian Prime Ministers encourage.
The Director of SPG S. N. Tiwari managed to embarrass everybody by getting detained by US security officials minutes before the Prime Ministers plane departed for India. He and another SPG official were carrying weapons at the civilian Dulles International Airport against rules While both were detained the officer accompanying Tiwari was handcuffed.
Used as he was to doing his duty in India Tiwani also got in to a flap with the US Secret Service. He was told by the US Secret Service to Jay off after he wanted to do a round of the White House to check on security arrangements there He is also alleged to have created a seen wanting to be convinced that the tarmac at the Andrews air force base would not sink when the Prime Ministers plane landed. US officials told him that the US Presidents plane landed on that tarmac sometimes twice or thrice a day and that he need have no such fears The handcuffing incident at the Dulles International Airport took place because they carried guns despite being told that unless they were close to the V-VIP security personnel could not carry weapons in a civilian airport. The two SPG officials however tried to board the Prime Ministers aircraft with side-arms Their pistols showed up in the scanners and they were asked 10 Surrender their weapons They agreed but handed them over not butt-end first as expected but with the barrel pointed towards the US security officials One of them immediately had his arms twisted behind his back and was handcuffed in true-American fashion. Only the immediate intervention of the Indian embassy with the US State Department led to their release. In Boston the security arrangements and their consequences are making the front page of The Boston Globe. Indian security officials requested the Four Seasons Hotel that only White employees be allowed 10 serve the Indian Prime Minister.
As for the alleged insistence in Boston that the PM be served only by White employees. Security coordinator with the Indian Consulate in New York told The Boston Globe that the requests were made for security reasons to climinated potential threats from Indian Pakistani or other groups. He denied that the hotel had been asked the Indian Prime minister Security staff that the employees serving the pm should be limited to white Americans or European. Brown also told Globe that the Indian: had officially asked Minister directly.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 27, 1994
