LONDON: Two groups of protestors clashed outside the Indian High Commissionas Kashmiris and Sikhs jointly protested against the actions of the Indiangovernment.
Sikhs and Kashmiris traditionally demonstrate on India’s Republic Dayoutside the Indian High Commission in London to declare their desire forfreedom from Indian occupation.
However, it was the first time that Indian officials organised acounter-protest which turned violent, as pro-Indian protestors attackedSikhs and Kashmiris.
Scotland Yard officials had to call for backup as they tried to separatethe protestors from the pro-India protestors, who had resorted to issuingthreats and also threw a few water bottles at the protestors.
The Indian protestors were carrying placards accusing the Sikhs andKashmiris of being terrorists, shouting “Modi, Modi,” and howling abuse attheir opponents. But they had to eventually retreat once it was clear thatthey were getting a more than robust response from a spirited gathering ofSikh and Kashmiri self-determination supporters.
India has been incensed at its diplomats being recently banned fromspeaking at many Sikh Gurdwaras in the UK, Canada, and the USA.
Officers of the Indian High Commission in London were also visibly stungseeing vans parked outside their office proclaiming “Khalistan Zindabad”,“Free Kashmir” and calling for freedom in Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur.
Following complaints from the Indian lobby last week, Transport for Londonissued a circular to stop advertisement agencies from displaying themessages on public transport.
Lord Nazir Ahmed led the protestors and condemned the ‘extremist Hindutva’elements that had sought to prevent peaceful democratic protest. Speakerafter speaker said their communities would never be intimidated by suchcowardly tactics.
President of the Council of Khalistan Amrik Singh Sahota, OBE, said theinternational community – including the Commonwealth – should hold Modi toaccount for not only his personal but also his country’s diabolic record onhuman rights.
“As a country that formally rejects the right of self-determination(enshrined in international law as Article 1 of the 1966 Covenants on HumanRights), the role of responsible international bodies was to punish, not,reward India,” he said, adding that the conflicts arising from that illegalposition had led to hundreds of thousands of deaths and untold misery.
Dr Mukul Hazarika of Assam Watch (UK) said India must “return the sovereignstatus of the shackled deserving nations viz the Kashmiris, Khalistanis andthe nationalities of Western South East Asia”.
Lord Qurban Hussain, who was also participating in the protest, spoke ofthe need for the UN to intervene and bring peace to what is perhaps themost dangerous conflict zone in the world today.