Delhi Police file FIR over vandalism of Indian High Commission in UK

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has registered a case in connection with protests in front of the Indian High Commission in London on March 19.
"On receipt of a report from the Ministry of External Affairs on the incident at Indian High Commission, London on March 19, 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs asked Delhi Police to take appropriate legal action," said an official statement. The case has been registered under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and Public Property Act (PDPP).
The special cell has started an investigation of the incident as it involves unlawful activities carried out by certain persons holding Indian nationality abroad, officials said.
The Indian community on March 19 held a large gathering in front of the Indian High Commission in London against the "disrespectful act" of Khalistan supporters towards the Indian flag and demanded that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and the British government act against the perpetrators at the earliest.
The desecration of the Indian Flag has led to an unprecedented outpouring of support from the diverse Indian community settled here in Britain.
Expats from all across the UK travelled to London to express their solidarity with the Indian Flag and with the Unity of India. The gathering resoundingly debunked the idea of Khalistan, saying there are no takers for it.
A pro-Khalistan protestor in London had climbed the High Commission of India's balcony and pulled down the Indian flag. A video of the same incident had gone viral on social video. In the now-viral video, the Khalistani protestor can be seen on the balcony attempting to bring down the Indian flag. At the end of the video, another man reaches the balcony from inside to avert any more harm to the flag.
The senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned on Sunday night after the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom was vandalised. The senior-most UK diplomat in New Delhi was summoned late evening today to convey India's strong protest at the actions taken by separatist and extremist elements against the Indian High Commission in London earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release on Sunday.
An explanation demanded the complete absence of British security that allowed these elements to enter the High Commission premises. She was reminded in this regard of the basic obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention.
"India finds unacceptable the indifference of the UK Government to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK," the MEA press release said. Demanding "immediate steps" from the UK Government, the official press release from the MEA said, "It is expected that the UK Government would take immediate steps to identify, arrest and prosecute each one of those involved in today's incident, and put in place stringent measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents."
The British High Commissioner Alex Ellis condemned the attack on the Indian High Commission in the United Kingdom today. He condemned the "disgraceful acts" and called them totally unacceptable.
"I condemn the disgraceful acts today against the people and premises of the High Commission of India - totally unacceptable," British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted. (ANI)