After violent protests by Khalistani supporters at the Indian High Commission in London, the central government has started taking tough steps. Adopting a tit-for-tat policy, security has been reduced outside the British Embassy (High Commission) in New Delhi on Wednesday. The barricades put up outside the UK Mission at Shantipath in Chanakyapuri Diplomatic Enclave and the residence of British High Commissioner Alex Ellis at Rajaji Marg were removed by Wednesday afternoon. However, there are no reports of reduction in the number of security personnel deployed at the mission, people familiar with the matter said.
On Sunday, a large number of Khalistani supporters gathered outside the Indian Embassy in London. They had a Khalistan flag in their hands and a man tried to remove the Indian flag on the embassy. The person who tried to take down the tricolor on the balcony also had the Khalistan flag in his hand. Meanwhile, the official of the Indian Embassy reached there and removed the Khalistani supporter from there. To respond to this violent protest, brainstorming took place at the highest levels of the government, after which the security barriers outside the British Embassy in New Delhi, including others, were removed.
Reacting to the developments, a British High Commission spokesperson said: “We do not comment on security matters.” No official statement has come from the Ministry of External Affairs on this matter. Regarding the protest in London, the local people had claimed that the police had arrived after a long time, due to which there was a lot of resentment from the Indian side. India had already given intelligence about possible protests by Khalistani supporters, but the British authorities did not act in time.
British Deputy High Commissioner Christina Scott was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs late on Sunday night to register a strong protest against the action taken by separatist and extremist elements against the Indian Embassy and protested in strong words. India demanded an explanation as to how British security outside the embassy was missing, allowing Khalistan supporters to gain access to the compound. At the same time, there was also a demand from Britain to take immediate steps and prosecute the protesters.
India asked Britain to take strong measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents and reminded of the obligations under the Vienna Convention. British High Commissioner Alex Ellis had condemned the violent demonstration at the Indian Embassy. In a tweet, he said, “I condemn today’s shameful acts against the people and premises of the Indian Embassy. This is completely unacceptable.” In addition, the US consulate in San Francisco was vandalized by Khalistani supporters, over which India lodged a strong protest with the US on Monday.
Get the more latest news updates