Members of the British Indian diaspora have called for an investigation after a group of pro-Khalistan extremists accosted the car of the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, during a planned visit to the Glasgow Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib on Albert Drive.
The High Commissioner was in the city as part of a two-day packed schedule of events in Scotland and had been invited to the gurdwara on the request of its committee to discuss consular matters and other concerns of the local community. According to a video posted on social media by Sikh Youths UK, a group of men confronted the gurdwara leaders and later accosted the car of the High Commissioner and said he should leave.
“Overriding the decision of the Glasgow Gurdwara Committee, Khalistani extremists use threat and force to prevent the Indian High Commissioner to UK from entering the gurdwara where he was an invited guest,” said Insight UK diaspora group.
“We ask the Scottish police to immediately investigate this incident against an Indian diplomat on Scottish soil and take action against those involved. This serious security breach comes despite police protection being promised to the Indian High Commission in London after it saw violent attacks by Khalistani radicals,” it said, adding that the “deeply shameful” incident shows how the threat of violence and intimidation is a tool being used by fringe Khalistani extremists in UK to stifle any opposing views.
“Senior diplomats being threatened with such impunity, is just the tip of the iceberg,” it warned.
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A Police Scotland 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.
“There were no reports of any injuries and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
The altercation follows a serious diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement in the country’s Parliament claiming the authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations" related to Indian government involvement in the murder of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist. India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated” and suspended visa services in the country over safety fears.
According to sources, the altercation at the gurdwara was caused by a few radical outsider elements overriding the wishes of the peace-loving majority of British Sikhs and came towards the conclusion of a successful Scotland visit of the High Commissioner.
Doraiswami held a wide range of meetings and discussions, including a lecture on India@75 at the University of Edinburgh and talks with business chiefs, political and community leaders on the spectrum of Scotland-India relations.
