On April 29, Khalistani extremists in London faced a strong humiliation as no one turned up for the protest they had called for outside the Indian High Commission office (HCI).
The protest was called against the report submitted by Colin Bloom, an independent faith engagement adviser, where he used the word “Sikh extremism”.
The report was published on April 26. Bloom was appointed by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to provide recommendations to the Secretary of State for Communities on how the government should engage with the faith groups in England.
As per the report, the actions of pro-Khalistan groups create a false image of legitimacy which is not according to the beliefs of the Sikh faith. It is essential to understand that Khalistani separatists do not represent the views of most British Sikh communities, as per the Khalsa Vox report.
The Bloom Review highlighted the negative effect these extremist groups create on Sikh communities. The Bloom Review stressed the need for the UK Government to take measures to define and tackle harmful extremism.
According to reports, despite the call for protests on April 29 on various social media platforms, none turned up.
The UK police has said they were aware of the protests and stationed police personnel outside the Indian Hugh Commission office. There was constant patrolling, and police vehicles were on standby. However, protesters did not turn up.
Speaking to a media house, the Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, said, “Khalistanis are lost people who have no idea of the teachings of Guru Nanak. Most of the Sikh communities here (in the UK) do not support them. We are a peace-loving community, and we love India.”
Notably, there were protests outside the HCI office after Punjab Police and central agencies launched a crackdown on pro-Khalistan separatist preacher Amritpal Singh.
During the protests, Khalistani elements tried to pull down Indian National Flag. India registered a strong protest against the incident and in the aftermath security from British Embassy in India was removed. The British government swung into action and initiated a probe into the matter.
It is to be noted that, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation on April 13 with his British counterpart Rishi Sunak, and raised the issue of security of Indian diplomatic establishments in the United Kingdom and called for strong action against Anti-India elements.
About the vandalism at the Indian High Commission, Sunak conveyed to PM Modi that the UK considers the attack “totally unacceptable” and assured him of the security of the Indian Mission and its personnel.
In March, the Tricolour atop the Indian High Commission in London was grabbed at by a group of protesters waving separatist Khalistani flags and shouting pro-Khalistan slogans.
