After being detained for two hours at the Newark Airport in the US Saturday morning, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan said he does not feel like visiting America again.
“After yesterday’s incident, I don’t feel like stepping on American soil any more, but I will continue with my US visits only because of my millions of fans who reside in that country,” Khan told reporters Sunday, ruling out seeking an apology for the incident which was denied by US officials.
“I was treated shabbily just because I happened to have Khan as my last name… because of my name being Khan…It is a Muslim name and I think the name is common on their checklist,” said Khan, who has also figured in US magazine Newsweek’s list of 50 most powerful people in the world.
Meanwhile, US Customs and Border Protection spokesman Elmer Camacho denied that Khan was detained because of his name or Asian identity.
“The allegations are incorrect. We inspected Khan because his baggage had not arrived..its a normal procedure. His documents and papers were checked, which were found to be in correct order,” Camacho said.
Khan was detained at the airport for about two hours Saturday before the Indian mission intervened and secured his release.
He was heading for Chicago to attend Independence Day celebrations along with Bollywood celebrities Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif and Bipasha Basu.
