Vivek Agnihotri, whose film ‘The Kashmir Files’ is in the middle of a controversy started by Israeli filmmaker and jury president of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), Nadav Lapid, has slammed the Union Minister for Civil Aviation and Steel. Jyotiraditya M. Scindia found that his luggage was marked with an ‘X’ at the Mumbai airport.
The director shared his concern with the minister on Twitter, saying, “Dear @JM_Scindia ji, please stop this pathetic system of marking bags with ‘X’ made of chalk at Mumbai airport.” He then pointed out how the practice projects India in a bad light globally as travelers from all over the world watch their luggage on conveyor belts marked with an ‘X’.
Agnihotri tweeted that it was “very bad manners” and showed India as a “primitive and uncivilized country, especially when PM Narendra Modi is talking about making India a global leader”.
The director of ‘The Kashmir Files’ may not be aware that cross-marking luggage at airports is a worldwide practice as all bags are X-rayed by customs officials before being released onto the conveyor belt. Generally, bags that are heavier than normal are turned away because the authorities may suspect that they contain dutiable items that have not been declared by the person who has the bag.