At Anchorage Airport in Alaska, authorities detained Indian entrepreneur Shruti Chaturvedi for eight hours after deeming a power bank in her handbag suspicious. In a viral social media post, she described being denied basic rights, stripped of warm clothing, physically searched by a male officer, and interrogated by authorities. The incident caused her to miss her flight and raised concerns about the treatment and unfair scrutiny of international travelers, particularly those from India.
In This Article:
Who Is Shruti Chaturvedi?
Shruti Chaturvedi is an entrepreneur from Ahmedabad and the founder of two startups, India Action Project and Chaaipani. The India Action Project helps connect rural areas with big businesses to support local trade, while Chaaipani shares inspiring stories and has built a large community of over 1.5 lakh people. Shruti dropped out of engineering and later studied psychology and journalism at St. Xavier’s College in Ahmedabad. She began her career in 2012 as an intern at The Times of India and has also worked as a TV reporter and HR coordinator.
Shruti’s X post:
Her post on X read, “Imagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours, being questioned the most ridiculous things, physically checked by a male officer on camera, stripped off warm wear, mobile phone, wallet, kept in chilled room, not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call, made to miss your flight – all because the airport security found your powerbank in handbag “suspicious”. Tagging Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and the Ministry of External Affairs, she wrote, “I don’t have to imagine, already past the worst 7 hours. And we all know why.”
Despite finding no wrongdoing, the authorities confiscated her luggage, offering only a flimsy duffel bag to hold her belongings.
Traveling Abroad: A Reflection on Modern Border Control Practices
Chaturvedi’s post has gone viral and connected with many people who have faced similar problems while traveling abroad. Her story is a strong reminder of how difficult travel can be today, especially with strict security and immigration rules. It also makes people think about how travelers are treated at airports and the helplessness many feel when dealing with foreign security systems.
Therefore, as Chaturvedi moves on from this experience, she continues to speak out about the need for better treatment of international travelers. She is also urging the Indian government to stand up for the rights and dignity of its citizens when they are abroad.
By – Pavithra
