Salman criticizes US authorities for detaining Shah Rukh

Bollywood actor Salman Khan has criticized US airport authorities for detaining and questioning fellow star Shah Rukh Khan.

Shah Rukh was enroute to Chicago for a parade to mark the Indian Independence Day on Saturday when he was taken aside for questioning at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Friday.

"Just because of few Muslims, billions of the community members face problems, which is not right," Salman said.

A US consul official in India told a television channel that they were inquiring into the matter.

As news of Khan's detention broke on Indian television channels, fans and actors began posting angry comments on the Internet.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni told a television station that while she could not say if Shah Rukh Khan had been detained "on religious grounds, there have been too many instances like these in the US concerning Indians".

Last month, US-based carrier Continental Airlines apologised to former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam for frisking him at New Delhi Airport.