After the frisking fiasco involving former president APJ Abdul Kalam on a US-bound American airline last year, the US aviation security department, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has conveyed to its Indian counterpart that it may exempt four to five categories of VVIPs from frisking before entering its aircraft.
The VVIP list is likely to include past and present presidents, the Vice-President, the Prime Minister and the present Union Cabinet. The list has been pruned down from some 30-40 categories of VVIPs, which currently figure in the country's Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) list who are exempted from frisking.
The matter had come up for detailed discussion during a meeting of the Indo-US joint working group held in January this year.
"A formal response from the TSA is awaited. However, they have agreed in principle to exempt four-five categories of VVIPs from frisking ahead of boarding a flight," said a senior civil aviation ministry official. The list will be prepared and finalised at the next meeting of the ministry with the US security agency.
Since such privileges are extended on a reciprocal basis, India will also review the list of US dignitaries it wants to exempt from frisking.
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With Thanks : Source : in.news.yahoo.com
