A journalist of a leading French newspaper on Wednesday alleged that he was detained and assaulted by Central Industrial Security Force personnel at the Chennai International Airport for smoking in the check-in area.
Serrguey Ugin, who works with Le Monde, alleged that a CISF officer had slapped him, while other CISF personnel roughed him up and hit him on his legs. However, CISF sources said it was Serguey who had assaulted the officer when he was asked to extinguish his cigarette.
Meanwhile, airport sources claimed that the matter had been sorted out. "The matter has been settled. The passports have been handed over to Ugin and his journalist wife, Flora, who will be leaving for France either tonight or Thursday," they said.
Sources said French consul in Pondicherry Kausalya Devi, who was deputed by the French embassy in Delhi to look into the matter, viewed the video clippings of closed circuit cameras and held discussions with airport officials. Kausalya Devi did not talk to media persons and left the airport by another gate.
The problem began when the French couple, who had been on a month-long holiday to Pondicherry, completed all formalities and were waiting to board the 1.30 am Lufthansa flight to Paris, airport sources said.
"Just before boarding I wanted to smoke and lit a cigarette. Suddenly this officer came up to me and slapped me. Some others roughed me up and hit me on my legs," Serrguey alleged.
Airport sources said that on seeing the commotion, other CISF personnel rushed to the spot and roughed up the scribe, apparently under the impression that he was a terrorist. After being detained by the CISF, who took away their passports, the couple contacted the French embassy in Delhi, which in turn sought the intervention of the officials of Airports Authority of India.
The embassy also asked its consul in Pondicherry to look into the matter. "We are not terrorists. We are only travelling. Coming to India is always beautiful for me. I am aware of the tolerance and kindness. Today's is a very stupid situation," said Serrguey.
Flora, who works for the same newspaper, said they had been coming to India for past 20 years and had visited many places in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry in the last one month. "I travel a lot in India and have been doing so for the last 20 years. Serrguey is a famous journalist in France and he is also a musician. We never thought this will happen to us," she told PTI.
Serrguey said that though this was an unpleasant incident, he did not wish to make a big issue out of it as he was fond of India and Indians.
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