Taking serious note of the incident, India had threatened retaliatory action with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna directing Indian Ambassador to US Nirupama Rao to take up the matter in writing at the 'highest level' with Washington.

In a written apology to Kalam and the Indian government, the US said, 'Appropriate procedure for expedited screening of dignitaries had not been followed. We are actively working to prevent similar incidents in the future from occurring.'

'We deeply regret the inconvenience that resulted for him (Kalam) as a result of the September 29 incident involving the security screening at JFK Airport in New York,' a statement from the US Embassy in New Delhi said, noting that it had the utmost respect for Kalam.

US Chargé d’Affaires in India Ambassador Peter Burleigh personally hand-delivered a letter from the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator to former President Kalam, and a similar letter was delivered to the Indian Government on Sunday.

“The United States Government has the utmost respect for former Indian President Abdul Kalam. We deeply regret the inconvenience that resulted for him as a result of a September 29 incident involving the security screening at John F. Kennedy airport in New York.” The US Embassy in India said.

80-year-old Kalam was frisked in New York on September 29 before boarding an Air India flight.

Sources said that even after Kalam had taken his seat in the aircraft, the US security personnel forced the crew to open the door and took away the jacket and boots of the former president to check for explosives since they had forgotten to do so before his boarding.

The items were later returned to Kalam.

However the Indian External Affairs Ministry through its official spokesman clarified : “Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who is a regular visitor to the US, was to return home on September 29 by an Air India flight from New York. US authorities have explained to us that under existing US regulation, former President Abdul Kalam does not fall into the category of persons exempt from security screening. However, US authorities extended usual courtesies to him at the airport, including escort and private screening”.

”After former President Kalam had entered the aircraft, US Transport Security Agency (TSA) agents requested Air India staff for President Kalam's jacket and shoes, reportedly as these had not been checked according to the prescribed procedure during the private screening. Air India staff then sought former the consent of former President Kalam, who had by then removed his jacket and shoes and settled in his seat, to hand over the jacket and the shoes to TSA authorities. These personal belongings of former President Kalam were returned shortly thereafter”.

According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs Spokesman India had immediately lodged a protest over this incident with the US side. The US Government has promptly written to former President Kalam express its deep regret over the incident and has assured us that it is taking corrective steps to prevent recurrence of such incidents in the future. The two governments are also planning to hold discussions to explore appropriate mechanisms for facilitating airport procedures for dignitaries, in accordance with national regulations.