India: Air Letter with Enclosure Diverted to Surface Mail

Air letter India #AL3 sent from Benares ( 17 FEB 49) to Bethlehem, US. 

Interestingly, the four ½ AS stamps on the back panel that were required to pay the 8 AS air letter rate to the US in 1949 were cancelled with a taxation "T" handstamp. Probably, these were only detected, when the air letter was sorted out for taxation.

Later at Delhi, it was detected that the aerogramme contained an enclosure. The postal clerk then encircled the admonition on the front panel and diverted the air letter to surface mail. A boxed 3-line handstamp was applied "BY / SURFACE ROUTE / DELHI AIR".


Reference:
Lang/Saunders, A guide to the postal stationery of India., vol. 4: Aerogrammes & Inland Letter Cards, 1984