Click to play videoNew Delhi: The northwest mid air drama in which 12 Indians were detained in Amsterdam, allegedly because of terror fears, has had its diplomatic fallout.
India registered a strong protest with the Netherlands, and while there has been no formal apology, the Dutch ambassador did convey his regrets.
"What happened has not been in conformity with the friendly relations that exist between Netherlands and India. Dutch ambassadors have informed this matter very seriously," MEA Spokesperson, Navtej Sarna said on Friday.
The 12 Indians detained on the North-west Airlines flight endured nearly 30 hours of interrogation in Amsterdam, were denied access to the Indian embassy and were not allowed to contact their families in Mumbai.
The foreign office summoned Dutch ambassador Eric Niehie to South Block and a strong protest was lodged but no apology was sought from him, nor was any offered.
"As an ambassador I want to tell you that the moment I’m informed about the reaction of the Netherlands Government, we would let you know," Dutch Ambassador Eric Niehie said.
The Ministry of External Affairs later confirmed that the ambassador had expressed regret over the incident.
"Our foreign secretary had called on the amabassador and he has apologized," says Minister of State (External Affairs) Anand Sharma.
Details pieced together by CNN IBN suggest this is what triggered the suspicions of the aircraft cabin crew:
- The 12 passengers reportedly walked up and down the aisle even after takeoff.
- They ignored repeated requests from the cabin crew to return to their seats and fasten seat belts.
- The men had a large number of cell phones and other equipment including lap tops and hard drives.
- They were passing the cell phones to one another.
It was when the passengers started fidgeting with their plastic bags that the air marshals on board the flight intervened.
The captain then radioed Schiphol airport saying he was returning and asking for an escort.
Whether all this constitutes suspicious behaviour or not is debatable, but in the context of the worldwide terrorism alert it appears an overzealous cabin crew hit the panic button.
A strong protest has been lodged and a report from the Indian mission at the Netherland Capital, Hague is awaited.
It's not clear if India has asked for any explanation from North-west Airlines the American carrier whose crew accused the 12 of suspicious behaviour.
The racial and religious issues involved also could not be ignored although the Dutch denied that was the case.
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