The Indian High Commission has strongly condemned Saturday's incident wherein Vikram Doraiswami, the High Commissioner to UK, was denied entry into a gurdwara by a group of Khalistani radicals in Glasgow, Scotland.
A video of the incident has surfaced on the internet which shows Khalistan supporters gathered near the car of the Indian diplomat. They can be seen refusing him entry to the gurdwara, ultimately resulting in his exit from the scene.
The latest incident follows Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement in the country's Parliament last week in which he accued the Indian government's involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated Khalistani terrorist, allegations which the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) strongly rejected as "absurd and motivated".
Calling it a "disgraceful incident", the Indian High Commission in London reported the matter to Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office and the Metropolitan Police in the UK.
"On September 29, 2023, three persons-- all from areas outside Scotland--deliberately disrupted a planned interaction organized by the Gurudwara Committee for the community, the High Commissioner and the Consul General of India.
"The organizers included senior community leaders, ladies and Committee members, and a member of the 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," the High Commission said in a statement.
Incident details and background
During a planned visit to Glasgow Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib on Albert Drive on Friday, members of Sikh Youths UK posted videos of their face-off with gurdwara officials as a few of them approached the High Commissioner's car and asked him to leave.
The local police said it was called to the "disturbance" and its enquiries remain ongoing.
"This is exactly how we should be greeting any Indian ambassador, anyone from the Indian government who comes in an official capacity under any excuse of doing visa applications or whatever it might be," a Sikh man is heard saying in a video posted on social media following the altercation in Glasgow. (With PTI inputs)
