'Privileges are not above law': Customs respond over Kashmiri journalist's baggage scan

Kashmiri journalist Yana Mir, who recently gave a speech in the UK Parliament, faced a controversy at the Delhi airport over her luggage inspection. Mir accused the Delhi customs officers of being rude and treating her like a 'brand smuggler'. 

"What I said in London about India: I am free and safe in India. How I was welcomed back to India? 'Madam scan your bag, open your bag, why you have Louis Vuitton shopping bags? Did you pay for them? Where are the bills?' What Londoners think of me - Indian media warrior. What Delhi customs thinks of me: brand smuggler," Mir said in the social media post.

However, the customs department refuted her claims, stating that Mir was uncooperative when requested to get her bags scanned. The department also released CCTV footage to support their argument. 

"Yana Mir didn't cooperate at all when requested to get her bags scanned. Her luggage was ultimately picked up by airline staff and Customs officer for scanning as seen in the footage," the customs department said in the post.

"Bag scanning of international passengers is done routinely. While other passengers put their luggage inside the scanner without any fuss, Yana Mir felt needlessly offended. The staff remained courteous throughout. Privileges are not above law. Footage tells the story," it said.

The incident sparked a debate on social media, with Mir defending her stand and denying seeking special treatment. Mir denied the accusations of requesting preferential treatment at the airport.

"I don't want special treatment. But harassing citizens like this is dictatorial. They need to be polite and ask if anything to declare, if very suspicious even after scanning then they should be courteous, to open the bag in a closed area, not openly like this," she posted in a reply to a comment on X.

In her UK Parliament speech, Mir had criticised the propaganda against India and asserted her safety and freedom in the country. She had also denounced international media for spreading misinformation about Jammu and Kashmir.

During the 'Sankalp Divas' event organized by the UK parliament in London, Yana Mir urged the global media to refrain from creating divisions among the people of Jammu and Kashmir. She criticized Pakistan's propaganda efforts to tarnish India's reputation on the international stage and emphasized the need for a more balanced narrative.

"I am not a Malala Yousafzai because I am free and safe in my country, India. In my homeland, Kashmir, which is a part of India. I will never need to run and seek refuge in your country. I will never be a Malala Yousafzai, but I object to Malala for defaming my country, my progressive homeland, by calling it oppressed," the Kashmiri journalist said in her parliament speech.

"I object to all such toolkit members from social media and international media, who have never cared to visit Kashmir, but fabricate stories of oppression from there," Ms Mir said in the UK parliament.