India has taken up requirement of additional security for the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. The matter was raised with the authorities in London after High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami, who is touring Scotland, was stopped from entering the Gurdwara on Albert Drive in Glasgow by two men.
“The High Commissioner went to the Gurdwara as he was invited by the Gurdwara committee but there were two gentlemen who came and stopped him from stepping out. We have taken up the matter with the U.K. authorities and asked them that they should have arranged security for our envoy on the ground,” said a person with knowledge of the exchange between the two sides.
Mr Doraiswami is on tour of Scotland and has been holding several meetings with the Indian diaspora there. The Hindu was told that India does not want the shadow of the ongoing spat with Canada to fall on India’s relation with the U.K. and is willing to regard the latest incident as an aberration.
“The High Commissioner has been visiting other Gurdwaras in the U.K. without any incident and there has been no protest against his entry into those premises. This latest incident indicates it was aimed at generating some propaganda points and that is why he avoided a confrontation. The Gurdwara committee’s invite still stands,” The Hindu was told.
The incident has added to the current tension that erupted after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents for being involved in the June 18 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the leader of Khalistan Tiger Force in Surrey, British Columbia. Earlier this year, on March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan protesters took down the Indian tricolour at the High Commission in London. This led to a tense phase of diplomatic exchanges during which India downgraded security for the U.K. High Commission and residence of the U.K. High Commissioner here. India has been urging the U.K. authorities to provide stricter security for Indian diplomats.
