Brought to Tears: Flyer Who Was Asked to Remove Prosthetic Leg

A differently-abled woman was brought to tears after Mumbai airport staff made her remove her prosthetic leg.

Antara Telang was forced to take off her prosthetic leg and pass it through a luggage scanner at the Mumbai airport. (Photo: Antara Telang’s Facebook page)

A 24-year-old differently-abled woman was left in tears at the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) on Saturday after security staff made her take off her prosthetic leg and pass it through the luggage scanner along with other passengers’ baggage.

The disgruntled passenger took to Twitter to speak about the embarrassing incident.

Most airports use an ETD (explosives trace detector) machine to check prosthetic limbs. She later tweeted a better experience at Bengaluru’s airport.

Telang, the director of a startup, lost her leg after a tree collapsed on her when she was just 18 and is a frequent traveller.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which manages security at airports, told The Asian Age that no complaint had yet been received.

We have not received any such complaint from Ms Telang yet. Our staff is well-trained and there is no chance of misbehaviour. We will still investigate and take action if anyone is found guilty. At the same time, the city is already on high alert and we have to ensure security.

<b>Hemendra Kumar, Deputy Commandant (public relations office) of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to <i>The Asian Age</i></b>