Britain said the police acted swiftly after an incident of breach of security of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar happened in London, and warned that “any attempt to intimidate and threaten” is unacceptable.
A pro-Khalistani protester attempted to break barricades while others shouted anti-India slogans while Mr Jaishankar came out of Chatham House after an interactive session at the institute, home to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, on Wednesday.
The Metropolitan Police acted swiftly to address the situation, sources in the UK Foreign Office said, adding they strongly condemn the incident.
India has said it expects the host government to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations in such cases and deplored the “misuse of democratic freedoms” by those elements, referring to Khalistanis.
“We have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of the external affairs minister to the UK,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “We condemn the provocative activities of this small group of separatists and extremists.”
“We deplore the misuse of democratic freedoms by such elements. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations,” Mr Jaiswal added.
Videos on social media showed a small group of Khalistani protesters holding yellow flags and shouting slogans against India and Mr Jaishankar. The foreign minister was standing on the other side of the road.
As Mr Jaishankar was about to leave, a tall man was seen attempting to break the police cordon and run towards Mr Jaishankar’s motorcade. The man stood in front of the motorcade and tried to block it.
He was then swiftly taken away by police officers.
It was not the first incident of breach of security by Khalistani elements. In March 2023, Khalistani elements pulled down the national flag at the Indian High Commission in London, triggering strong reaction from India.
Following the incident, India summoned the senior-most British diplomat in Delhi and demanded an explanation over complete “absence of security” at the mission.
India has been asking the UK to take action against Khalistani elements operating from British soil.