While a massive Tricolour graced the Indian High Commission building in London, the disgraceful attack is a blot on India-UK relations. This pertains to the passive reaction to the incident by the UK government despite the unprecedented act of pulling down India’s flag inside the premises.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel.
The Ministry’s statement came in the aftermath of a serious security breach outside the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom, which resulted in an untoward incident, with separatist and extremist elements pulling down the Tricolour from the building’s first-floor balcony.
A botched-up response
What should have been a scrambling within the UK establishment, its response was timid and casual with diplomatic rhetoric.
“The UK government vows to take the security of the Indian High Commission here ‘seriously’”, said the UK Foreign Office Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon in condemning the incident.
When asked, the British High Commission(BHC) in New Delhi, clarified its stance based on foreign secretary James Cleverly’s remarks.
“The act of violence will keep coming back if the actions are not taken,” said a former ambassador to the UK.
The foreign secretary stated: “We are working with the Metropolitan Police to review security at the Indian High Commission, and will make the changes needed to ensure the safety of its staff as we did for today’s demonstration.”
However, the response from the BHC on the arrests is not clear.
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