Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, was reportedly stopped from entering the Gurdwara in Scotland's Glasgow by two Khalistani radicals. India raised the issue with the UK foreign office and police, government sources told news agency ANI. Sources told News 18 that the UK government has taken the matter seriously and assured India that action will be taken against the perpetrators.
"Cops reached the spot on time and the UK assured India of action against the perpetrators. Gurdwaras in the UK are very welcoming to Indian Diplomats and Indian Community. Only a few radical men try to use it as an opportunity to get social media traction and to prove themselves for the cause,” sources were quoted by News18.com as saying.
What happened exactly?
A purported video, shared on the 'Sikh Youth UK' Instagram account, showed an alleged pro-Khalistani activist barring Doraiswami from entering the Glasgow gurdwara on Albert Drive.
"Doraiswami was on Friday stopped by a few radicals from entering a gurdwara in Glasgow. The Indian High Commissioner decided to leave instead of getting into an argument," sources told ANI on Saturday.
Meanwhile, sources told News18 that the gurudwara in Glasgow had invited High Commissioner Doraiwami for a function but "somehow these two radical men got to know about it and they decided to create a scene at his arrival".
"Two radical men had nothing to do with the gurudwara administration. The High Commissioner did not want to spoil the function by going on in Gurudwara so he decided not to get down from the car,” they said.
Sources added that even after the Indian envoy left, the Gurudwara authorities requested him to come back, but due to security concerns Doraiswami was unable to attend the event.
But why was he stopped?
Gurcharan Singh Grewal, general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), told ANI that people of England are upset with the illegal arrest of Jaggi Johal. "That is the reason all of this is happening... We want to ask the Indian Embassy that any kind of tension should not be created... If something like this has happened with an ambassador in a Gurudwara, it affects the reputation of Sikhs..." he said.
The SGPC member also cited earlier incidents of violence against Indian ambassadors and said, "...There is no restriction on entering any Gurudwara. But I don't know what their reasons were. To avoid any tensions created because of his (Vikram Doraiswami) visit, they must have stopped him..."
Who is Jaggi Johal?
Jaggi Johal alias Jagtar Singh Johal was an online activist and documented the alleged persecution of the Sikhs. His activities consisted of translating into English the stories in a magazine and website, News 18 reported.
Johal has been lodged in prison since 2017 and is being probed by India’s National Investigation Agency over links to targeted killings carried out by the banned Khalistani Liberation Force (KLF).
He is facing charges of conspiracy to murder, being a member of a terrorist gang, and waging war against India. These charges carry a maximum sentence of death.
Political reactions
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has condemned the incident on Saturday. BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa issued a statement saying, "He (Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom) was stopped from visiting the Gurdwara in Scotland by some people as seen in the video. I condemn this as it is a God’s place where there are 4 doors which symbolise that there is no discrimination of any sort.”
A formal reaction from the Indian High Commission in London and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the incident is awaited.
First Published: Sept 30, 2023 2:17 PM IST
