UK to respond 'robustly' against attack on Indian High Commission: Foreign Secretary Cleverly

Around 2,000 protesters waving Khalistan flags descended upon the Indian mission in London for a planned demonstration and hurled objects and chanted slogans

The British Government has promised to robustly respond to the “acts of violence” during protests by the pro-Khalistani Sikh activists in front of the High Commission of India in London on Sunday and Wednesday.

“We will always take the security of the High Commission (of India), and all foreign missions in the UK, extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this,” James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary of the British Government, said on Thursday.

His statement came after police removed the security barricades from the road in front of the British High Commission and the residence of the UK’s envoy to India, Alex Ellis, in New Delhi. The move was apparently intended to send out a message to the British Government that India would respond appropriately if adequate security arrangements were not put in place around its diplomatic and consular missions in the UK.

“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 (of India in the UK) Vikram Doraiswami,” Cleverly said in his statement.

Also read | Security heightened around Indian High Commission in London over protest by British Sikh groups

Nearly 2000 protesters – mostly British Sikhs – assembled in front of the High Commission of India (HCI) in London on Wednesday. They waved the yellow flag of Khalistan, hurled objects and chanted slogans against the Government of India and the police crackdown on separatist elements in Punjab in India. The local police, however, prevented them from coming close to the India House – the building housing the HCI at Aldwych in London.

Mounted officers on horseback patrolled the area along with helicopter surveillance.

“The police investigation is ongoing and we are in close contact with the Indian High Commission in London and the Indian Government in New Delhi. 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 today’s demonstration,” Cleverly said in London on Wednesday.

The protest on Wednesday did not result in any damage to the HCI in London, but a similar demonstration had turned violent last Sunday, when the pro-Khalistani Sikh activists had stormed into the India House. They had taken down the national tricolour that was flying at the High Commission. The incident triggered a strong protest from New Delhi. The British Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi, Christina Scott, was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) late in the evening on Sunday. The MEA officials demanded an explanation from the British Deputy High Commissioner for the complete absence of the security agencies of the UK near the diplomatic mission of India in London. The absence of the security personnel allowed the “separatist and extremist elements” to enter the High Commission premises.

She was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic Relations.

Cleverly on Thursday observed the “thriving” India-UK relationship, driven by the deep personal connections between our two countries.

“Our joint 2030 Roadmap guides our 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. We want to build deeper ties between the UK and India for the future,” Cleverly added.