Two full-body scanners installed in Delhi airport withdrawn

Delhi airport had installed two full-body scanners in November and both machines have been withdrawn after it failed to detect heroin capsules hidden inside a passenger's body. The CISF is in charge of airport security and they have communicated to the home ministry that there have been repeated technical glitches apart from resistance from passengers, especially women, over privacy and cultural issues.
Hence, the decision to stop using the body scanners at Delhi airport.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 18 February 2017.

Failure to detect 56 capsules of heroin hidden in the stomach of a passenger from Afghanistan has been cited as a major reason - the capsules were discovered after ultrasonography in AIIMS. Home ministry sources have directed the civil aviation ministry to procure more "sophisticated" scanners to avoid such lapses in future. An American company has now been been approached.
The Intelligence Bureau had wanted full-body scanners because they would reduce queues by cutting down on frisking time and also improve security as well. Such scanners are supposed to have the ability to spot hidden non-metal objects such as plastic explosives and drugs.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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CISF prevents students of Manipur from entering the Taj Mahal

A group of students from Manipur were prevented from entering the Taj Mahal because the CISF personnel on duty believed that they were foreigners and were posing as Indians to enter on the tickets of Rs 40 instead of Rs 1000.
As per rules, at the Taj Mahal, tickets issued to foreign tourists (barring those from SAARC and BIMSTEC countries) cost Rs 1,000 each, while an Indian has to pay Rs 40 per ticket.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 10 January 2017.

According to the complaint of the students — they were from the Central Agricultural University in Imphal and had gone to visit the monument as part of an all-India educational tour. They had reached the gates at around 3.30 pm on Sunday and were allegedly not allowed to enter on grounds that they “resembled foreigners” trying to pass off as Indians so they could enter with cheaper tickets.
The students produced their ID cards and a letter which stated that they were on a national tour but, that did not help even though a professor was accompanying the group. CISF then asked the students to produce their Aadhaar cards, and only those who had the card were allowed to enter.
Subsequently, after intervention of the tourism police, the group was allowed to enter.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has ordered an inquiry into the incident.


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