Sikh separatists warned against attacks on the Indian High Commission in London

In response to media reports about a poster promoting another rally in support of a separate state for the Sikh community, British Foreign Minister James Cleverly issued a strong cautionary message, emphasising that any attacks on the Indian High Commission in London should be avoided.

“Any direct attacks on the Indian High Commission in London are completely unacceptable,” Cleverly wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

“We have made clear to @VDoraiswami (High Commissioner of India to Britain Vikram Doraiswami) and the Government of India that the safety of staff at the High Commission is paramount.”

His comments follow threats and attacks targeted at Indian diplomatic missions across countries including the US, Australia and Canada, and some threat posters emerging online with images of the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, and Dr Shashank Vikram, the Consul General of India in Birmingham.

Following the attempted removal of the Indian national flag and the smashing of windows by Khalistani extremists at the High Commission building in March, India House in central London has witnessed a noticeable and prominent security presence from the Metropolitan Police.

On Thursday last week, according to reports from the Indian media, a poster promoting a rally on July 8 for “Khalistan”, a term coined by proponents of an independent Sikh state, was said to be circulating on Twitter.

The Indian prime minister Narendra Modi urged the UK to take firm action after reports of Sikh separatists becoming violent during their protests in March surfaced.

The US has also condemned the vandalism during protests at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco earlier last week, where it was reported that the protesters had attempted to set the offices on fire.