Sir — The hullabaloo raised over the (mis)treatment meted out to senior Uttar Pradesh Minister Mohammad Azam Khan appears to be misplaced. Those who are agitated by the development have overlooked the regulations prevalent in the US. Theirs is a democracy where there are no demarcations between the masses and the VVIPs in matters of security protocol. In our phony democracy, where feudalism is still prevalent, everyone who is someone tries to seek special treatment.
We should not overlook that a similar treatment was meted out to George Fernandes when he was a Cabinet Minister, and to former President APJ Abdul Kalam, at US airports. They did not raise a hue and cry. Of course, film actor Shah Rukh Khan did create a scene when he was subjected to interrogation at a US airport. Perhaps he believed that he was somebody special in the US, as he is in India.