A new mobile application lets Sikh passengers in the US to report complaints about unfair security checks at airports instantly.
The free downloadable app FlyRights was launched recently by Sikh activists in the country. It is available on both Google Play and iTunes.
This smartphone app can report a complaint directly to the Transportation Security Administration/Department of Homeland Security regarding air travel discrimination, within seconds after the incident takes place. The user could also file a complaint with the Sikh Coalition, the nation's largest Sikh civil rights organization.
"FlyRights users have confirmed that we cannot simply trust the TSA to self-report on whether it is engaging in discrimination," Amardeep Singh, director of Programs at the Sikh Coalition, told PTI.
"An independent auditor should review and publicly report on the TSA's screening practices. Only then will we know whether the TSA is remaining true to its own anti-discrimination polices. Until that happens, we call on the public to hold the TSA accountable by downloading and using FlyRights," he added.
Congresswoman Judy Chu, who is member of the Democratic Party had said that airport safety measures which are based on someone's race, gender or faith "are not safety measures at all - they alienate targeted communities and make victims out of travellers."
Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, admitted that reports of racial profiling and discrimination to the TSA increased almost by 20 times since the mobile app has been launched.
