Mangaluru : The members of Kerala State Muslim Youth League, Kasaragod district committee led by P.B. Abdul Razak, Manjeswaram MLA, staged a protest near Mangalore International Airport against the reported ‘harassment’ of passengers from Kasaragod at the airport by the authorities, here on Wednesday.
Addressing the protesters, the committee’s General Secretary A K M Ashraf charged, “Mangalore Airport is an important airport and expatriates of Kasaragod and other nearby districts of Kerala are dependent on it for their journey. Sadly, it has become common for expatriates, particularly those of Kasaragod district to be harassed, ill treated and humiliated unnecessarily by the airport authorities with a biased and ulterior motive.”
Citing an example, he said iPods carried by passengers from the Gulf are seen as bombs by the authorities concerned. Manjeshwar MLA P B Abdul Razak said the officials should take the protest seriously and ensure that the passengers do not suffer in the hands of officials as several passengers from Kasaragod and neighbouring districts depend on Mangaluru International Airport for their travel.
Airport Director J T Radhakrishna said 2,000 passengers travel from the airport everyday.
When there is suspicious movement and items found, then the officials interrogate (the passengers) keeping safety in mind. The airport is in the fifth position in the overall Customer Satisfaction Index out of the 55 Tier II Airports in the country, he added.