LONDON: After the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, was stopped from entering a Gurudwara in Scotland, Overseas Friends of BJP-United Kingdom president and executive member of Ram Mandir, Southall, Kuldeep Shekhawat on Saturday called on the British government to seriously look at what has happened, why it happened, who is responsible for the lapse.
Speaking to ANI, Shekhawat called on the British government to take the “strongest possible action” on Khalistani elements who want to disturb the peace and communal harmony of UK.
“We, as member of Indian diaspora in UK, call upon the British Government to look seriously at what has happened, why it has happened, who are responsible for this lapse and why such an incident took place in Glasgow,” Shekhawat said.
He added that Khalistanis are trying to drive a wedge between the communities and they don’t want a peaceful co-existence of Hindu and Sikh communities. He said a handful of so-called Khalistani are trying to create an atmosphere of mistrust in the UK.
“We condemn in strongest words about what these Khalistanis are trying to do. They are trying to drive a wedge between the communities, the Indian communities. They don’t want a peaceful coexistence of Hindu and Sikh community,” Shekhawat told ANI.
“So, these handful of so-called Khalistanis are trying to create an atmosphere of mistrust in UK, and we strongly condemn this. And we request the British government, on behalf of the Indian diaspora here in UK, that there should be a strongest possible action on these kind of elements who really want to disturb the peace and the communal harmony of this country,” he added.
Calling the incident a “security lapse on the part of the Scottish police”, Shekhawat noted that the Indian High Commissioner to the UK is the first person from India in the UK and diplomats should be treated with utmost respect and security cover should be provided to them whenever they travel.
He said the incident that took place in Glasgow is “not a very good statement” as there “were serious lapses on part of the security setup of Britain.” He called the incident a “larger ramification of the Khalistan movement”, saying that it is related to Jaggi Johal scenario.
“We all are aware of one person called Jaggi Johal who has been arrested in India. He has got nine charges against him and somehow somebody must have informed his close relatives or friends or the Khalistani people that High Commissioner is visiting a Gurudwara,” Shekhawat said.
“These three young men disguised themselves as they have come to Glasgow today only as trekkers who would like to trek around. And they told the Gurudwara team that they are here only for langer, but actually they were waiting for the High Commissioner to arrive. The shocking part of the story is Scottish police was nowhere to be seen. There was no police officer available at the scene,” he added.
Calling for better security of diplomats in the UK, he said, “High Commissioner of India is the first person of Indian origin, he is the first person of India in UK and he is a diplomat. And as you know, diplomats are given complete security. They should be treated with utmost respect and the security cover should be provided to them wherever they travel.”
“But in this case, there’s a serious lapse on part of the Scottish Police or the administration or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that there was no policemen deployed at the venue and these three boys were easily able to reach up to the High Commissioner’s car,” he added.
India’s High Commission in London on Saturday said elements from outside Scotland “deliberately disrupted” a planned interaction organised for the Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami.
“On September 29, 2023, three persons- all from areas outside Scotland-deliberately disrupted a planned interaction organised by the Gurudwara Committee for the community, the High Commissioner and the Consul General of India. This interaction was to discuss community and consular issues,” the Indian High Commission in London said in a statement.
“The organizers included senior community leaders, ladies and Committee members, and a member of Scottish Parliament. They were threatened and abused by these elements. In an effort to prevent any potential altercation, the HC and CG decided to leave the premises shortly upon their arrival,” it added.
The Indian High Commission said it reported the incident to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Metropolitan Police. Multiple community organisations, including the organisers, have formally regretted the incident and have urged the authorities to take action against the culprits, according to the statement.
“One of the non-local extremist elements attempted to violently force open the HC’s car door – a matter that will require suitable police consideration. It is due to the quick reaction of one of the organizers, who physically intervened at the car door, that a bigger incident was avoided,” the Mission added in its statement.
The statement was released after social media videos showed Doraiswami being accosted near the parking area of the gurudwara located on Albert Drive in Glasgow by pro-Khalistani elements, who blocked the Indian envoy from entering the gurudwara. In the video, some of the men are heard saying, “All Indian envoys must be subjected to this as India was targeting them”.
Meanwhile, Scotland Police said it responded to a report of disturbance in the Albert Drive area of Glasgow around 1:05 pm (local time) on Friday, adding that an inquiry is ongoing to establish the full circumstances around the incident.
In an email statement to ANI, Scotland police spokesperson said, “We were called around 1.05pm on Friday, 29 September, to a report of a disturbance that happened in the Albert Drive area of Glasgow.”
The spokesperson added, “There were no reports of any injuries and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.” (ANI)