Scotland Yard disallows Kashmir protest outside Indian embassy in London

LONDON: The Scotland Yard has imposed a ban on British Kashmiri protestors from assembling outside the Indian High Commission on October 27 when thousands of people are expected to assemble in London from all over the United Kingdom for a major protest against Indian occupation of Kashmir and the lockdown of Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370.

Under Section 14 Public Order Act 1986, the Scotland Yard has restricted the protestors from taking the procession to outside the Indian High Commission, a short distance from the Parliament Square. The protestors had applied for permission to initiate the “Free Kashmir procession” from outside the Houses of Parliament to the Indian High Commission but the police have told the organisers that the protest can only be taken to the Trafalgar Square on the agreed route and not to the Indian High Commission.

A spokesman for the Home Office told this correspondent that imposing Section 14 was an “operational matter for the police”. The News and Geo have seen the official communication in which the police have said that “any static assembly that is held in London on the 27th October 2019 that is in support of the Muslim Action Forum, World Muslim Federation, Pakistan Patriotic Front, Overseas Pakistan Welfare Council, Jammu Kashmir

National Awami Party, the PTI AJK or any other Pro Kashmiri Groups” must make sure that the protest will be located in Parliament Street and “following any Procession must be located in Trafalgar Square” and for that the police have provided route maps to the organisers.

The police have imposed conditions that the march must start from Parliament Street; must not commence before 1400Hrs; and the route of the procession must follow the following route: Parliament Street; Whitehall and Trafalgar Square.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had criticised plans to hold march on Diwali and called on the organisers and prospective participants to cancel the protest rally.

During a protest of more than 15,000 outside the Indian High Commission on August 15, a group of protestors threw eggs at the walls of the Indian High Commission. Immediately, organisers of the protest and Kashmiri leaders condemned vandalism and told the police to arrest those involved in acts of vandalism. At least three people were arrested from the scene. The Kashmiri groups had said that the hooligans were planted by the Indian government to get the assembly banned outside the Indian High Commission. The Indian government used the incident to tell the British government that lives of its staff were put in danger during the protest. A handful of people had protested in support of India outside and both protests passed off peacefully.

The Indian government had formally raised the issue with the British government. It issued a note verbale (or a diplomatic letter) to the UK through High Commission. The matter was raised in the UK Parliament as well by Bob Blackman MP. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had responded: “This is a police operational matter and the home secretary will be raising it with the police. We must all be clear in this House that violence and intimidation anywhere is wholly unacceptable in this country.”