Pro-Khalistani Groups Protest Outside Indian Missions in London, Canada; Controversial Posters Displayed

A pro-Khalistan protest was held outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday amid tight security. The protest rally had relatively low-key turnout as only 30-40 participants participated in the demonstration and the event passed off without incident.

The protest comes at a time when there is a surge in the attacks by pro-Khalistani groups in UK and across countries including Canada, Australia and the United States.

The rally used controversial posters inciting violence with images of the Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami and Dr Shashank Vikram, Consul General of India in Birmingham, PTI reported. There was a very visible police presence throughout the protest, which wrapped sooner than expected.

The protesters gathered outside the Indian High Commission from around 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm (local time). Meanwhile, the security in the area was beefed up with the presence of UK police, according to ANI.

Earlier this week, the UK government declared that any direct attacks on the High Commission of India in London are unacceptable amid the anti-India attacks and posters by Khalistani extremists emerging on social media channels.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had earlier raised the issue of violence against the diplomatic premises and threats to Indian diplomats with counterparts in London.

“This violence against our diplomats and inside our diplomatic premises abroad is unacceptable, and we condemn them in the strongest terms,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

In the US, Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu inspected the security arrangements at the Embassy premises and annexe in view of the proposed pro-Khalistan rally on Sunday.

In Canada, a few hundred people demonstrated outside the Indian consulate in Toronto on Saturday to protest against the alleged murder of a pro-Khalistani leader last month in the Vancouver area.

The protestors accused the Indian government of being responsible for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a declared terrorist in India wanted in many cases.

The pro-Khalistani elements had proposed pro-Khalistan rally outside the Indian High Commission in Ottawa on July 8.

The demonstrators carried Khalistani flags and raised ‘Khalistan’ slogans. Setting off from the Toronto suburbs, they arrived in front of the Indian consulate, where they were greeted by around 50 members in support of the Indian government.

“They have a poster here calling to kill Indian diplomats. We are concerned because these groups have committed terrorist acts in the past and politicians are not taking actions,” one of the counterdemonstrators, Vijay Jain, an IT consultant, told AFP.

India recently summoned the Canadian envoy in New Delhi and issued a demarche over the increasing activities by pro-Khalistani elements in Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said that Canada has always taken “serious action” against terrorism and it will continue to do so as he asserted that it is “wrong” to believe his government is soft on Khalistan supporters and terrorists in the country.