India has asked U.K. authorities to take action against “miscreants” involved in desecrating the Indian flag during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to London in April.
India said that while there was a possibility of such an incident, “it was the police’s inaction that surprised us,” and no arrests have been made in the case despite there being “photographic proof.”
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju is learnt to have told U.K. Minister Baroness Susan Williams on Monday that he was absolutely “aghast and shocked” at the unfortunate incident relating to the desecration of the Indian flag at Parliament Square by “miscreants in the presence of Metropolitan Police” during the PM’s visit to the U.K. in April.
Caught on camera
A group under the banner of ‘Minorities Against Modi’, led by a Pakistani-origin man was caught on camera desecrating the Indian flag. Indian agencies suspect that pro-Khalistani activists and Kashmiri separatists jointly carried out the act when Mr. Modi was in London to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on April 19.
“I would like to insist that action is taken urgently against the culprits who have been caught on video. It has been almost two months since the incident and in spite of photographic proof and witness statements, there have been no arrests or progress in the investigations. This is quite disappointing, to say the least,” Mr. Rijiju is learnt to have told the U.K. delegation.
Fringe groups
He said that India was disappointed with the anti-India activities of some fringe Kashmiri and Sikh groups that continued unabated in the U.K.
“Increasing instances of better coordination between the Kashmiri and Sikh separatists have come to our notice. We hope that the U.K. government will take cognisance of such anti-India activities being planned on British soil and take steps to curb them,” he is learnt to have told the U.K. delegation.
A senior government official said the flag issue was strongly taken up by the Indian High Commission with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
“The Mission has also submitted video and photographic evidences of the culprits to the Metropolitan Police and is following up with them,” the official said.