Yamini C S | Edited by Poulomi Ghosh
A woman on Tuesday alleged that she was asked to take her shirt off during the security check at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport, and described the experience as ‘humiliating’. Narrating her ordeal on microblogging site Twitter, she questioned why the Bengaluru airport needs a woman to strip.
She added that she got unwanted attention after having to stand at the security checkpoint wearing only a camisole.
“I was asked to remove my shirt at Bengaluru airport during security check. It was really humiliating to stand there at the security checkpoint wearing just a camisole and getting the kind of attention you’d never want as a woman. @BLRAirport Why would you need a woman to strip?” Krishani Gadhvi, a student and musician, wrote on Twitter.
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This got the attention of several internet users, including the Bengaluru airport. Assuring that the issue has been escalated to the security team, the airport expressed their regret, replying, “Hello @KrishaniGadhvi, we deeply regret the hassle caused and this should not have happened. We have highlighted this to our operations team and also escalated it to the security team managed by CISF (Central Industrial Security force) a Government sovereign.”
They also asked for Gadhvi’s contact information to uncover details of the incident. “Kindly DM your contact details for our team to connect with you at the earliest,” they wrote in a separate tweet.
A social media user also replied, “That’s so unbecoming of an airport and its security team. Security is prime, but don’t use it to humiliate people. Sickening!”
It is not clear if Gadhvi was travelling domestically or internationally. The Kempegowda International Airport is screening international flyers for Covid-19, having made home quarantine mandatory for those travelling from six countries including China and Japan.
