India on Saturday condemned the incident of Indian high commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami being allegedly prevented by radical Sikh activists from entering a gurudwara in Scotland’s Glasgow. The High commission of India in a statement has termed the incident ‘disgraceful’.
“On September 29, 2023, three persons- all from areas outside Scotland-deliberately disrupted a planned interaction organised by the Gurudwara Committee for the community , the High Commissioner and the Consul General of India. This interaction was to discuss community and consular issues”, the Indian high commission said in a statement.
“The organisers included senior community leaders, ladies and committee members, and a member of Scottish parliament. They were threatened and abused by these elements. In an effort to prevent any potential altercation, the HC and CG decided to leave the premises shortly upon their arrival”, the statement added.
According to the high commission, one of the non-local extremist elements allegedly tried to violently force open the high commissioner’s car’s door. “It is due to the quick reaction of one of the organisers, who physically intervened at the car door, that a bigger incident was avoided”, the high commission said.
“The High Commission of India has reported the disgraceful incident to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Metropolitan Police. Multiple community organisations including the organisers have formally regretted the incident and have urged the authorities to take action against the culprits”, it added.
The incident came towards the end of a two-day visit of the High Commissioner to Scotland, which involved a series of meetings and discussions with local political leaders, diaspora representatives, business chiefs and university groups.
“We were called around 1.05 pm on Friday, 29 September, to a report of a disturbance that happened in the Albert Drive area of Glasgow. There were no reports of any injuries and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances,” news agency PTI quoted a Police Scotland spokesperson.
