London, Nov 9 (PTI) A group of 50 UK-based diaspora bodies and community organisations have come together to issue an open letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu to express serious concerns over “anti-India” protests and mobilisation in recent weeks.
The letter, issued over the weekend, claims the sequence of demonstrations held in London last month, the organisations involved and the messages being advanced “warrant serious scrutiny”.
The groups, including the likes of the Hindu Community Organisations Group, Indian Diaspora in the UK (IDUK), Friends of India Society International (FISI) UK and Indian National Students Association (INSA) UK, called for an “investigation” into any extremist involvement or unlawful coordination behind the protests.
“The sequence of these demonstrations, the organisations involved, and the messages being advanced warrant serious scrutiny, particularly where political mobilisation overseas risks being used to delegitimise India’s democratic institutions or foster hostility towards the country and its elected leadership,” reads the open letter.
“Further concerns have been raised regarding the presence or involvement of Pakistani and Bangladeshi Islamist organisations and Khalistani-linked separatist activists in connection with these demonstrations and the wider anti-India mobilisation. “Any credible evidence of coordination, material support, or collaboration between such networks and political or advocacy organisations should be examined impartially by the competent authorities,” it notes.
The letter highlights two specific protests – one on October 16, organised by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) UK outside the Indian High Commission in London, and another the following day at Parliament Square, addressed by social media influencer Dhruv Rathee.
“While peaceful protest and legitimate criticism are essential features of any democracy, these freedoms must not become a shield for incitement, intimidation, deliberate disinformation, communal polarisation, or the promotion of violence. The right to disagree with an elected government is fundamental; the attempt to undermine constitutional institutions through unlawful means is entirely different,” the letter adds.
The groups conclude the letter by saying that they submit their appeal in the spirit of “national responsibility”.
It follows a series of demonstrations around the world called by student groups last month to “amplify” the demands of the Cockroach Janata Party in India — including the demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in India. PTI AK ZH
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