Ashish Ranjan
In apparent retaliation for the absence of visible security at the Indian High Commission in London, cement blocks that served as barricades in front of the British High Commission in Delhi and the British High Commissioner’s residence were removed.
On Sunday, a group of individuals uttering pro-Khalistan slogans vandalised the Indian High Commission in London, which lacks any visible security outside its premises.
The Indian government lodged an objection by summoning the British High Commission’s most senior diplomat. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded an explanation for the absence of any British security personnel, which allowed these individuals to enter the High Commission. “She [Deputy High Commissioner Christina Scott] was reminded in this regard of the fundamental obligations of the UK Government under the Vienna Convention,” MEA said, adding that “India finds unacceptable the UK Government’s indifference to the security of Indian diplomatic premises and personnel in the UK.”
After directives from the Delhi Police headquarters, approximately 12 barricades were removed from outside the British High Commission and the residence of the British High Commissioner in Chanakyapuri, according to sources from the Delhi Police.
While there was no official word from the Indian government regarding a potential security downgrade, the lack of visible security — cement blocks serving as barricades — was evident on Wednesday.
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This is comparable to what occurred in December 2013 when Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade was apprehended in New York for visa fraud related to her alleged exploitation of an Indian domestic worker at the US embassy in Delhi. After her arrest and strip-search, the Indian government removed identical visible security — cement blocks and barricades — from in front of the US embassy in Delhi.
