Close on the heels of Indian Ambassador Meera Shankar being subjected to a 'pat-down' search, another incident of top Indian diplomat Hardeep Puri being patted down at Houston Airport has come to light following which India has lodged a strong protest with the United States.

According to reports, Puri, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, was asked by airport officials to remove his turban during a security check two weeks back at the Houston airport in Texas.

When Puri refused to remove his turban, the officials made him wait for over half-an-hour in a 'holding room'. India has lodged an official protest through its Consulate General in Houston with the US authorities, sources said in New Delhi.

On December 4, Shankar, was pulled out from an airport security line and patted down by an American security agent in Mississippi despite informing them of her diplomatic status.

Shankar was subjected to an enhanced security pat-down at the Jackson-Evers International Airport in Mississippi, ostensibly because she was dressed in a sari.

Image: Hardeep Puri

Photograph: Jay Mandal/On Assignment