LONDON: A ruckus was created outside the Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday with the diplomatic staff of the commission throwing water bottles at pro-Khalistan — a Sikh separationist movement —Sikh protesters from the roof of the building.
In order to call out thebrutality of the Indian police against Sikhs in Indian Punjab, the protest was organised by the Federation of Sikh Organisations and Sikh Youth Organisations.
For the protest, supporters of Khalistan arrived in London from other cities of the country.
As the area around the high commission echoed with slogans of Khalistan, hundreds of police officers were on duty to protect the diplomatic staff who were confined in the building.
The police on duty have called for more personnel to keep the enraged protesters under control.
Last week, the Indian flag was taken down from the High Commission building.
According to media reports, three days after the incident, the Indian government removed the security barriers outside the UK high commission in Dehli and the residence of the British high commissioner in retaliation.
In response, security at the Indian High Commission in London was redoubled.
During the protests today, Sikh leaders addressed the protestors and said: ‘We are only asking India for the basic right of freedom.”
During the protests, Sikh leaders addressed the protesters and said: ‘We are only asking India for the basic right of freedom.”
They said that India cannot suppress the Khalistan movement by force, adding, "Through the referendum, we want to tell the world that we want independence from India.”
The diplomatic staff inside the building then hung a huge tri-coloured Indian flag on top of the building.
As more police officers arrived at the site of the protest, a police helicopter was also sent to protect the high commission.
Meanwhile, the enraged Sikh youth threw shoes on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
These developments came not long after over 11,000 Sikhs voted for the Khalistan Referendum’s second phase on March 19 in Australia.
Australian Sikhs responded robustly to the Indian prime minister’s efforts to stop Khalistan Referendum voting in Australia at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre amid a massive wave of Indian cyber security mercenary attacks on the electronic voting machines.
The SFJ, the pro-Khalistan secessionist group — which organised the referendum voting — said it suspected that the Indian state-backed hackers were involved in the planned attack.
On March 19, the “Battlefield — Brisbane” Khalistan Referendum Voting Centre was dedicated to Shaheed Bhai Harmeet Singh Bhaowal and Shaheed Bibi Baljinder Kaur who were bombed to death along with their nine-month-old son, Pavittar Singh, on December 5, 1992, by the Indian police forces in Haryana.