Bengaluru: Dancer and choreographer Salman Yusuff Khan on Wednesday alleged that he was insulted by an immigration officer at the KempeGowda International Airport for not knowing the Kannada language. Khan said the officer questioned him for not knowing Kannada language despite being born in Bengaluru and threatened him.
"I am a proud Bangalorean. But, what I have faced today is unacceptable. You should always encourage people to learn any local language but not demean them for not knowing it. And pulling your parents' name into it," Khan stated on his social media account.
The incident that Khan described as "disturbing" occurred when he was returning from Dubai. An immigration officer allegedly continued to speak with the choreographer in Kannada despite he tried to convey that he can understand but lacks fluency when it comes speaking.
Khan claimed the officer pointed out his name and birthplace which is Bagaluru on his passport. "He has the audacity to tell me that you and your father were born in Bangalore and you can't speak Kannada. To which I replied that being born in Bengaluru doesn't mean I was born with the language."
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"I could be born in Bangalore and travelled the world like I have always been a Saudi child brought up in Saudi Arabia. I have never had Kannada as a language as I never lived in the country during my schooling, whatever little I know is through my friends. He goes to the extent of saying that if you can't speak Kannada I can suspect you.
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"I told him that I know my nation's official language Hindi and why should I know Kannada. I asked him again to suspect me for what? And he says, "I can just suspect you for anything, I told him to try me and got a little louder and repeated "try me" thrice.
"To which he kept quiet. I told him that if uneducated people like you continue to live in this country this country will never grow. To which he kept his head down and murmured. Trying to report this incident to the airport authorities but no one seems to be guiding me," Khan stated.
