Really inhumiliating to show our differences with children who yet don't understand between skin or color. I understand NRI did mistake, but I don't think it is anything to with NRI or anybody else. It is having political connection or having white skin. We have not forgotten English rule yet and we still think anyone in white skin is better than us.
I completely agree with the action which the immigration officials have taken. I presume Mr. Vijay was under the impression that he can get away without a Valid Visa or Travel permit for his kids who are citizens of another country. What is surprising is the fact that both the parents of the deported kids are software engineers... and supposedly intelligent. U always take the house keys before going out. period. Media hype may be making a mountain out of a molehill, but I believe the immigration officials were right in their actions. Instead of commenting on the negative side of the officialdom, people should understand the fact that nobody is above the law. True, officials could have been more considerate, giving more time, probably, but the parents should be squarely blamed for this debacle. No regrets. -- Posted without prejudice.
Vijay is trying to glorify his mistakes as Indian mistake. Had it happened in US would they have made it so big news? Have they ever tried to enter US without VISA? Being an Indian they managed to respect US laws by carrying Green Card but neglected Indian rule. Why? cause India doesn't known for enforcing them? If they did it why are you making so fuss about it? Being a responsible parent as well as responsible Citizen of India you should have carried the proper documents for your family. Bravo Officials! Its not inhumane, it is discipline.
Its of no surprise to me reading about the agony Vijay has gone through. I am an NRI and every time I travel to Mumbai I have a bad experience. Customs forcing on bribes inclusive of woman, rude behaviour by the officials, cops etc.
There should quality staff with training in hospitality and education..
Officials should make procedures if people are on transit. Give them atleast 24 - 48 hours to sought their problem.
RE:Expected
by gyan mehta on Dec 21, 2006 04:00 AM Permalink
Shyam S commends the good job of thugs, and says:
Finally I'd like to ask the dad to leave his Green Card here in India and try to enter the United States based on his children's US citizenship. GOOD LUCK. I have news for you, this is precisely happened to me, I lost my passport, and had no documents with me, yet a polite and understanding immigration officer was able to check that I was a citizen of US and I was inside meeting my family in less than 20-30 minutes. Of course, every time (100+ times, few times a year) we have entered US from Canada, except for asking us if we were US citizens (WITHOU looking at ANY document EVER) we and our kids were welcomed home in US. Shyam does not understand what being a human means, I guess.
The thugs, and heartless kibitzers who commends these action, forget that these were PIO or valid visa holders who did not have the necessary documents with them. In my 30 years of travel I have encountered NO place so heartless. Shame on this "officer", thug and excuse of a human being and kibitzers who support this.
RE:Expected
by Karan on Dec 21, 2006 01:15 AM Permalink
Syam should get his ass out of his head and think and stop making foolish analogies. The correct would be if two American citizens (whites) who live in India and have chidren born in India and Indian citizens coming to America without visas for their kids. I seriously doubt that the US immigration officials would have deported the kids in 45 mins. These are small kids, are they afraid that they would bomb something. Their parents are Indian citizens. Sure we welcome their dollars, but continue to treat them like shit. I bet syam is somebody who came here on false educational qualifications and was deported
RE:Expected
by Nikhil P on Dec 21, 2006 02:29 AM Permalink
shyam, why dont u sit on the airport of india. you may get good things to report instead of these....maybe u know it when your children face it.....
RE:Expected
by KK on Dec 21, 2006 10:13 AM Permalink
You are a looser......... You have no friends........I felt really sick reading your comments and attitude.......No where in the world, officials would have refused waiting for even 45 minutes.. You would never see an US official so rude. Only Indians could be so rude and inhumane, especially to Indians. If they had someone with white skin, they would have been licking ther feet. You are one jealous fellow ...
RE:Expected
by ragu on Dec 20, 2006 10:53 PM Permalink
So Mr, 1) You either do not have kids 2) or you have not traveled and lived with them abroad 3) In any case you were not introuble anywhere.... You will remember sriramachandra when you are in trouble next time.
RE:Expected
by sandeep K on Dec 21, 2006 03:33 AM Permalink
Not really expected. Issuing a transit visa is discretionary. The officer made a point. The only reason people have to pay bribe is because they want to save money and not pay GOI custom duty. If you are ready to pay customs, no one will ask you for a bribe. I know this from first hand experience. Why do all Indians try to get through green channel? If you have something why don't you go through the red? I make it a point to go through red channel if I have something. Nobody harrases you if you decide I will pay duty.
First I'd like to appreciate the stand taken by immigration officials in Mumbai. I don't see why any non Indian should be let into the country if they don't have proper documents. Emotions are running high here cause kids are involved. Well, they had to pay for their father's stupidity.
To the dad, you have accepted complete responsibility. Then what are you complaining about. Be a man and tell your kids that they had to suffer because daddy screwed up. And don't bring this racial thing to India.
As for the French man's comment, there is no credibility if the statement was made. Even so, I don't think we should pay serious attention to it. We will let it pass as a typical developed country attitude that countries like India should bend their rules.
And for the person suggesting that the dad carry $100 next time when he travels to India, YOU HAVE TO BE ASHAMED. I think the people arguing the dad's case here have not traveled abroad.
Finally I'd like to ask the dad to leave his Green Card here in India and try to enter the United States based on his children's US citizenship. GOOD LUCK.
PS: The title is wrong. They are not NRI kids. They are NRI's kids.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by S Ram on Dec 20, 2006 09:08 PM Permalink
Hi Shyam,
I agree with all but one of your points. True daddy screwed up, but does that mean the kids have to suffer? Is there no space in the world for just being nice? No, I am not talking about admitting people into the country without a visa. But it's no crime giving them an extra few hours to fax their documents... I think that's what the whole issue is about. The fax did arrive 10 minutes after they boarded their flight back to Paris!
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Vivek on Dec 20, 2006 09:19 PM Permalink
Hey Shyam,
You do have a couple of good points mentioned.
I do agree that Vijay screwed up the who thing by not bringing the peoper documents. But, shouldn't the immigration officials to considerate enough to offer transit visa (for 24 hrs or 48 hrs) to the two kids by looking at their system to verify if actually did issue visa/PIO documents to the kids. This would have given some time to the family get the documents faxed.
At the least, they should have allowed the family to stay at the airport for 4-6 hrs so he could have got his friend to fax the documents from Boston.
You should probably put yourself in his shoes and think about it.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Unknown on Dec 20, 2006 09:19 PM Permalink
Shayam, very well said. Everybody is crying with this stupid NRI who is blaming Immigration officials for his own mistakes. I am pretty sure that he himself has mistreated the officials claming to be a relative of Laloo Parsad Yadav or Chandrababu Nayadu. I am also an NRI and repeat the same advise to him....Try to enter in USA w/o your GreenCard with your kids as they are US Citizens and then tell everyone what kinda treatment you get. Pathetic!
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Ashok H on Dec 20, 2006 09:28 PM Permalink
Good Point. Ya! leave your GC and try to enter india with your Kids passport.
BTW, the french guy was on a "TRANSIT" visa which means he has tickets to travel to other places. I have got transit visa to Singapore, Malaysia etc. Viraj wants free transit visa for 1 month - Hello 1 month is not transit.
The officer had who deported these guys has been honest and did his job.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Indian on Dec 21, 2006 01:00 AM Permalink
Lets not compare with Indian leaving Greencard and going to USA immigration. More apt comparison would be American returning to America with kids of foreign origin. Now how American offical's are going to behave? I dont know. But I do know that they will try to help. Atleast wait for 1 hour for the documents to be faxed!!!
Americans make sure that their fellow Americans are treated well all over the world. E.g. Americans doesn't need a visa to enter UK, while Indians do.
Even better.Indian don't need a transit visa in UK, if they are going to America :). When will we Indian stop being self centered and think about fellow Indians?????
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by Ravi Bharadwaj on Dec 21, 2006 01:29 AM Permalink
I will appreciate if you can throw some light on why a forein national is allowed to keep his feet on Indian soil when a person of Indian origin with supported documents(should be there in their system I doubt if it is distributed acrosss various networks after this incident) is denied to land.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by jui on Dec 21, 2006 01:41 AM Permalink
Agreed, that the gentleman Shriwardhankar completely forgot the docs in America, he agrees to the same, but to err is human. Do you understand the agony, that a person spends a fortune for an Indian trip, almost $6000-$8000/- for a family trip, and apart from that has joy and love in his heart that he will be meeting his family, will hv a nice time in his motherland, and this is the treatment he gets in his own country, our country men are racists for sure, you are saying that dont bring this racism in India, its already existing, that french person who refused the Indian visa he got one, and the Indian citizen who is asking to grant some more time, just doesnt get time, why dont u get it that its just a task of a minute to get the records cuz every immigration computers are internationally linked. What kind of mentality u hv.
RE:Good Job Mumbai Immigration
by NM on Dec 21, 2006 12:53 AM Permalink
Shyam,
I understand ur statement that without Valid documents, we should not allow people inside the country.
1)Do U also understand that we can porvide temporary visas based on some criteria. This system is available in almost all countries if u have visited that country at least once.
2)Also there is no need to deport immediately. Why not allow some time to arrange alternatives.
3)If a citizen of India can give guarantee, They can be granted temporary stay. Think how many of their relatives are citizens. Wont they guarantee these children's conduct during the stay.
4)Do U know how many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and others countries are in India. Wher is ur IMMIGRATION authorities in this case.
5)In India, we follow everything as per rules. Is that what ur statement means. If you pay 200$, U can bring 10kgs gold into this country. Ask ur IMMIGRATION authorities fix that system rather showing off.
Above all, U can justify anything. But underlying fact is "This act is too rigid, inhuman". The system has to change.
as he said its shame to be indian . i think its proud to be indian . ask him some indian with indian passport goes to USA without visa how would they treat them . I am also from london But Vijay think that the law should be a only be follow in USA not in india then he is wrong the officers were right .
this kind of family og vijay and others should not be even given the indian visa BECAUSE there are from nowhere not indian not even like US citizen .
I am in london from long time i have my business as weel but INDIA IS INDIA and if you proud to be INDIAN people will respect you .
I think this there is no need to exaggerate this much .Indian immigration official have done their duty ,what is wrong in this .Only thing is ,officials could have given some more time for the parents to get the docs faxed .That is the mistake ,otherwise the sole mistake is with the parents .Do they think if u have an US passport ,you dont need a visa for third world country
It is frustrating to see these kind of things happening. Governement is restricting it self to talk about " Incredible India " in the news paper advts. It is not trying to reform the attitude of the Babus of Immigration & Customs . Unless this is done Indian tourism will be Incredible up side down . If only that Immigration officer were to know how arduous and painful it will be to travel 24hrs non stop , he would not have acted that way and he would have been more humane.
India is the worst country when it comes to human rights. They are probably looking for some money to get from NRI's. Even i feel ashamed of being an Indian..
