In a distressing account that has gone viral on social media, Indian entrepreneur Shruti Chaturvedi shared her traumatic experience at Anchorage Airport in Alaska, where she claims she was detained, stripped of her warm clothing, and physically checked by a male officer—all because of a power bank found in her handbag.
Chaturvedi, the founder of Indian Action Project and Chaaipani, took to X to recount how she was allegedly taken to a cold room, denied the use of a restroom, stripped of her winter gear, and questioned by officials from the FBI, all without access to her phone or wallet.
“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’,” she wrote.
To make matters worse, Chaturvedi missed her connecting flight and wasn’t permitted to inform anyone back home in India. “I don’t have to imagine, already past the worst 7 hours. And we all know why,” she added, hinting at possible racial profiling.
Her post has triggered outrage online, with many demanding accountability and answers from US authorities regarding the treatment she allegedly received.
This incident has definitely sparked deep concern among social media users about how Indian travellers, especially women are treated abroad, even in so-called “routine” security checks. This isn’t just about a power bank.
It’s about dignity, basic human rights, and racial sensitivity. Detaining someone for eight hours, denying them access to their phone or restroom, stripping them of warm clothes in freezing temperatures, and subjecting them to a physical check by a male officer- these actions go far beyond standard protocol.
That too, without giving the person a chance to contact family or a lawyer? It screams of power misuse and profiling. What’s worrying is that this could happen to any Indian traveller, and it leaves people wondering: Are Indian passports treated with less respect?