‘Direct attacks on Indian mission completely unacceptable’: UK foreign secretary

 The activities of pro-Khalistani activists have received extremely heavy attention from the Indian side from authorities in Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK.

               On March 19, the national flag at the Indian high commission in London was pulled down during a protest by pro-Khalistan activists

NEW DELHI :  James Cleverly, the British foreign minister, stated on Thursday that any attacks on the mission are "completely unacceptable" in light of rumors that pro-Khalistan individuals want to stage a "Kill India" rally outside the Indian high commission in London on July 8.

This week, a number of accounts on Twitter started to tweet about the event, claiming it was intended to "challenge [the] #Indian hand" in the murder of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist, in Canada last month.

The attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco and threats made against top Indian diplomats in Australia, Canada, and the US via posters distributed by pro-Khalistan elements preceded the recent development. This week, the Canadian envoy was summoned by the Indian minister of external affairs to express opposition to the development.

The Indian High Commission in London is the target of any direct attacks, which are wholly inappropriate. The safety of the workers of the High Commission is vital, as we have made clear to @VDoraiswami and the Government of India," cleverly stated on talking to Vikram Doraiswami, India's high commissioner in London, on Thursday morning.

Any direct attacks on the Indian High Commission in London are completely unacceptable.

We have made clear to @VDoraiswami and the Government of India that the safety of staff at the High Commission is paramount.

— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) July 6, 2023

Cleverly's tweet was cited by Alex Ellis, the UK's high commissioner to India, in his post, which said in part, "To amplify the importance which @FCDOGovUK attaches to the safety and security of friends and colleagues, and their premises, at @HCI_London."

Doraiswami and India's consul general in Birmingham, Shashank Vikram, were both shown in the tweets promoting the July 8 "Kill India" event.

According to those with knowledge of the situation, the attempt on the Indian consulate in San Francisco by Khalistani activists early on July 2 as well as threats made against senior Indian diplomats in Australia, Canada, and the US are being viewed as yet another example of coordinated action by pro-Khalistan groups.

The tweets announcing the July 8 event incorrectly identified top Indian diplomats in the UK as the "faces of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killers in Vancouver," similar to the posters seen in Australia, Canada, and the US. In a video released on Twitter by pro-Khalistan accounts, the leader of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Pannun, who has been branded a terrorist, accuses Indian ambassadors in Australia, Canada, the UK, the US, and other European nations of being "responsible" for Nijjar's death.

A little more than three months after Khalistani demonstrators hoisted flags at the consulate, breached barricades, and used flagpoles to break windows, the Indian embassy in San Francisco came under attack once more.

With authorities in Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK, the Indian side has brought up the actions of Khalistani activists quite forcefully and sought action against them.

Pro-Khalistan protesters had scaled the balcony of the Indian high commission in London during a violent demonstration on March 19 and yanked the country's flag from a post in front of the structure. After that, India strongly protested the violence to the UK and even scaled back security around the British high commission in Delhi.