New DelhiMore police officers and barricades were deployed outside the Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the vandalism that took place three days ago.
The move came shortly after police in New Delhi removed road barricades outside the British High Commission in what some saw as India’s displeasure with the breach in London.
Police officers, liaison officers and patrol officers were seen on duty outside the India Place building in central London, where a huge Indian flag hung between windows following the incident on Sunday.
Following a protest at the High Commission in Aldwych, where windows were smashed and the Indian flag was taken down from a first-floor terrace by a protester before being rescued by an officer, India summoned a top British diplomat to Delhi.
According to a statement released by the Foreign Office, the senior diplomat was asked to explain the “complete absence of British security” as the crowd marched towards the building carrying yellow “Khalistan” flags.
The rally was organized in response to a massive manhunt in India for Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh, who is on the run since Saturday. He attacked a police station last month with hundreds of armed supporters.
Senior British officials have said the UK government will take the security of the Indian High Commission “very seriously”, calling the devastation at the Indian mission “outrageous” and “completely unacceptable”.
The Delhi Police has removed barricades obstructing movement of commuters outside the British High Commission here but security at the diplomatic mission remains intact, officials said on Wednesday. The Delhi Police’s move comes days after pro-Khalistan activists pulled down the Indian tricolor at the country’s High Commission in London.
PCR, barricades and security removed from British High Commission Delhi pic.twitter.com/kyFTPHv1fF— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) March 22, 2023
A senior police officer told PTI, “Security is intact outside the British High Commission here. However, the barricades on the road leading to the Commission have been removed, which caused inconvenience to the commuters.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the British High Commission said, “We do not comment on security matters.” The Indian flag at the Indian mission in London went viral on social media during a protest by pro-Khalistan elements.
(With PTI inputs)