New Delhi: The protective barricades outside the UK High Commission in Delhi’s Chanakyapuri were removed on Wednesday, days after Khalistani sympathisers vandalised the Indian High Commission in London.
#WATCH | Delhi: Barricades removed from outside the residence of British High Commissioner Alex Ellis. pic.twitter.com/OMSuRfsiu4
— ANI (@ANI) March 22, 2023
Reports said security was also scaled down outside the house of UK High Commissioner Alex Ellis’ in Rajaji Marg.
A British High Commission spokesperson later said they did not comment on security matters.
The action comes days after a group of men — waving Khalistani flags — had grabbed at the tri-colour flying atop India’s London high commission, leading to an arrest related to violent disorder.
They were protesting on Sunday the crackdown on radical preacher Amritpal Singh, who is still absconding.
Images of shattered windows and men climbing the India House building circulated on social media. Videos from the scene showed an Indian official grabbing the flag from a protester through a first-floor window of the mission, while the protester was seen hanging off its ledge and waving a Khalistani flag.
The incident drew widespread condemnation, with India registering a strong protest with the British government over the safety of its diplomatic mission. It also questioned the lack of sufficient security on the premises.
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan condemned “the violent disorder and vandalism that took place”. “There is no place in our city for this kind of behaviour,” he tweeted.
British High Commissioner Alex Ellis described the incident as “disgraceful” and “totally unacceptable”.
Foreign Office Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon said he was “appalled”, asserting the government would take the security of the Indian High Commission “seriously”.
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