NEW DELHI: The violence at the Indian High Commission in London by pro-Khalistan groups in March this year was “absolutely not okay”, asserted British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis, adding that he would have been “equally angry” had it happened at one of his Missions.
“I think what happened at the Indian High Commission was absolutely not okay and it’s the symptom of an issue which is Khalistani extremism,” said the High Commissioner at an event in New Delhi on May 10. The incident, where the mob pulled down the Tricolour, caused a rift in ties between India and the UK.
First public remarks
“I would have been equally angry had it happened to our High Commission,” Ellis added while speaking at a dialogue event organised by the Ananta Centre. This was his first public remarks since the incident took place in London on March 19. He declared that in the case of extremism, and “as specific as Khalistan extremism, I don’t think there’s any disagreement” between India and the UK.
During the efforts of Punjab Police to nab separatist Amritpal Singh, Khalistani supporters laid a siege of the Indian High Commission in London. They even took down the Tricolour from atop the High Commission.
The group of protesters had come with sophisticated public address systems. They came from different parts of the UK, carrying flags and banners.
India’s quick reaction
India reacted promptly with the MHA directing Delhi Police to take appropriate legal action based on its report on the incident and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was tasked to probe the incident.
The British High Commissioner spoke about extremism in his country and said that the UK has “a very broad toolkit for how we deal with extremism which at one end can be an arrest in a criminal prosecution and so forth…” He stated that dealing with such threats goes beyond. “It’s also about tackling misinformation and disinformation,” he said.
