Will review Indian mission’s security, says UK after Delhi’s tit-for-tat move
British foreign minister James Cleverly’s comments also came hours after Indian authorities reduced security outside the UK high commission and the envoy’s residence in New Delhi on Wednesday
NEW DELHI: The UK is reviewing security at the Indian high commission in London and will make changes to ensure the safety of the staff, British foreign minister James Cleverly said following another protest outside the mission by pro-Khalistan activists.
Cleverly’s comments also came hours after Indian authorities reduced security outside the UK high commission and the envoy’s residence in New Delhi on Wednesday in retaliation for the British side failing to prevent the vandalisation of the Indian mission in London during a protest on March 19.
The protests in London by pro-Khalistan groups, which began soon after the Punjab police launched a statewide manhunt for pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh and his followers, have emerged as a fresh irritant in India-UK relations. The external affairs ministry had called in the senior-most British diplomat in New Delhi on Sunday to register a strong protest and to demand action against those involved in the vandalisation of the Indian mission.
Cleverly said late on Wednesday that violence directed at the staff of the Indian high commission in London is “unacceptable” and his government is working with local police to review security at the mission. A police investigation is ongoing and the British side is in close contact with the Indian mission and the government in this regard, he added.
“We are working with the Metropolitan Police to review security at the Indian High Commission, and will make the changes needed to ensure the safety of its staff as we did for [Wednesday’s] demonstration,” he said in a statement.
“Acts of violence towards staff at the Indian High Commission in London are unacceptable and I have made our position clear to the high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami,” Cleverly said.
“We will always take the security of the high commission, and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this.”
Cleverly further said the India-UK relationship, “driven by the deep personal connections between our two countries, is thriving”. The India-UK Roadmap 2030 guides the relationship and “shows what we can achieve when we work together, creating new markets and jobs for the two countries and helping to tackle shared challenges”, he said.
Bilateral ties had also taken a hit recently after the BBC aired a two-part documentary on the sectarian violence in Gujarat in 2002. Indian authorities banned the documentary, with the external affairs ministry describing it as “propaganda” that reflected a colonial mindset.
On March 19, the London police arrived at the Indian mission after a pro-Khalistan activist pulled down the national flag and others tried to enter the premises. Dozens of police personnel, including mounted police, were deployed for Wednesday’s protest in Aldwych area by a large group of pro-Khalistan activists.
The protestors shouted anti-India slogans and waved Khalistan flags, while Indian officials and others draped a massive national flag on the roof of the mission. Another large Indian flag was put up outside the building.
The protest went on for several hours and Metropolitan Police prevented the demonstrators from approaching the Indian mission by erecting barricades and conducting marches in the area. However, the protestors lobbed water bottles and eggs at the building from behind the barricades. Several police vans were deployed near the mission and patrolling of the nearby area was intensified since Sunday.
