"It happens only in India"

Shilpa Shetty felt harassed, humiliated and harrowed by yet another bitter and embarrassing experience at the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai today (Wednesday, September 26), when an inspector by the name of Mr P. Deshmukh in the Immigration Department, spoke rudely to her and treated her badly. The actress was travelling to Germany for her West End musical 'Miss Bollywood', premiering in Berlin this weekend.

It can be recalled that after international actor Richard Gere planted pecks on Shilpa's cheeks at an AIDS awareness event in New Delhi a couple of months ago, a few people unhappy about his public display of affection, filed cases against her in various courts of India. But when the Supreme Court gave a directive to transfer these cases to the Mumbai court, most of the complainants backed out.

However, by that time, a court in Alwar district of Rajasthan had issued a 'look out notice' for Shilpa at various airports through the Police. The notice said that the actress shouldn't be allowed to leave the country till the Richard Gere-Shilpa Shetty case was over. When Shilpa appealed to the Supreme Court against this, the order was quashed by the said court, and the actress was given permission to travel abroad.

"This happened around three months ago, but the immigration authorities at the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, just seem to refuse taking note of this clearance of Shilpa's name by the Supreme Court," said her spokesperson Dale Bhagwagar .

The actress once again faced the brunt of the immigration authorities this week while travelling with her dance troupe that included fifty British and Russian dancers and technicians to Germany. She had a 2.15 am departure, by British Airways flight BA138F, to Berlin via London, when she faced this harrowing experience at the airport.

"She called me in the middle of the night and was in tears as an Inspector by the name of Mr P. Deshmukh had treated her badly, spoken to her in an absolute rude and uncalled manner, and gruffly told her, she could not travel out of the country as there was no clearance order from the court," informed Bhagwagar.

"This is not a sole incident. From the last few months, every time Shilpa travels out of the country, the immigration authorities hassle her. So much so that one could think, they get some kind of sadistic pleasure in doing so," he added.

"Is she expected to carry a copy of the Supreme Court order all her life? Will the authorities take decades to note the court development?" Bhagwagar asks.

Public at the airport, gathered in hundreds, to watch the actress go through the plight, adding to her humiliation. "I know that they (immigration personnel) were doing their duty, but there is certain decorum to be maintained, even when one is doing his duty," Shilpa told Bhagwagar over the phone, just before catching her flight. "I can understand something like this if I'd committed a criminal offence. But what was my offence, when I'm just an actor, going to perform a musical on foreign land, representing my country. I don't need to be treated like this in my own country! It's terrible! It's really shocking," she added.

"It's not Shilpa's fault that Richard Gere planted pecks on her cheek. It's not her fault that some airport personnel are unprofessional. It's not her fault that their computers do not reflect the clearance from the court. It's not her fault that she is a celebrity. Why should she pay a price for that?" asked Bhagwagar, and added, "It happens only in India."

Is Shilpa planning any action on the immigration authorities for the offensive behaviour? "Yes, she was keen to consult her lawyers in the matter," Bhagwagar informed.