Sikh extremists in the United Kingdom staged a protest at the Indian High Commission in the UK on March 19, 2023. As a part of the protests, Khalistan activists pulled down the national Flag of India. The United Kingdom Government did not respond to the incident in the way that India anticipated, which has attracted criticism from the latter.
This incident at the High Commission of India and the British Government’s lack of action has riled the upper leadership of India. Notably, reports suggest that the government of India, under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, had informed the government of the United Kingdom and its various agencies about the plans of the Sikh separatists to stage such a protest.
However, the inaction on the part of the UK government is considered an “action-forcing event”. The Modi-led government of India believes that the UK is indifferent towards the security of the diplomatic premises. Accordingly, the higher authorities are hinting towards repercussions. As per the reports, the said repercussions will extend beyond diplomatic protest.
Notably, the government of India wants the government to take action against the inciters of the incident at the High Commission of India. The authorities have convened a critical conference to discuss how they can get the government of the United Kingdom to take appropriate action in addressing the security concerns of the Indian administration.
Notably, the authorities have identified the man behind staging the protest on Monday as UK-based asylum seeker Avtar Singh Khanda. Khanda has connections with the Khalistan movement as his father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, was a member of the Khalistan Liberation Force and is supplying funds for the movement from Gurmit Singh Bukanwala.
The UK government is showing indifference to the security concerns expressed by the government of India since the members of the Khalistan Separatist groups have staged a similar protest regarding the Anti-CAA-Kashmir protests. The Khalistan activists also staged those protests at the Indian High Commission in 2019.
