India House in London, the home of the High Commission of India was once again surrounded by a large group of unruly protesters this weekend. While they had come to protest on farmer’s issue, radical and extremist elements seem to have taken over the protest for pursuing their own agenda. The protestors violated the terms of the approval granted by the authorities for the protest. News reports indicate that the organisers had got permission for only 30 people to gather but between 3500-4000 people crowded outside the India House in violation of the permission granted. The caution exercised by the authorities was understandable. It was necessitated by the security requirements of India House, and UK’s fight against the Covid pandemic. People in UK would have found it strange to see hordes of people crowding together in complete violation of Covid protocols, shouting anti-India slogans at a time that UK is beginning to vaccinate its frontline workers against Covid. Some within the crowds even raised Khalistani flags, thus demonstrating the political agenda that certain radical elements had come to project. Police reportedly arrested 13 persons for breach of Covid regulations, though some were released later.
Video clips of the protest show coloured smoke being released by some people in the crowd. Media reports state that three youngsters who were seen setting off a firework towards a crowd were spoken to by the police and the fireworks were confiscated.
As I saw the footage of these protests, I was taken back to the protest outside India House in September 2019 when smoke bombs were thrown at the building while all of us were working inside the High Commission. The offensive smell could be felt by those working in sections of the High Commission building. The unruly crowd on that occasion were of Pakistani origin, though mingled with them, there were some proponents of Khalistan too. It was no surprise that some of the same people had also taken over the protest this weekend and were the ring leaders of those shouting slogans against India and its leadership.
There is currently an agitation by farmers in India against new farm laws passed recently. In a democracy, people can and do resort to protests. The beauty of democracy lies in the power of the people. The farmers have made their voice heard by the Government. Talks between representatives of the Government and the farmers have already begun. Media and civil society are watching the process and so are the people of India. It is unclear how a ruckus outside India House in London could contribute to efforts of the farmers in India.The UK census of 2011 counted over 430,000 Sikhs in the country. The number would be far higher today.
The Sikh community in London itself would be over 300,000 strong. The Sikh community is well integrated into British society, consists of well educated individuals, many of whom have been recognised for their contribution to the society. Members of the community have achieved distinction in varied fields, be it business, politics, education, banking or administration. A number of Sikhs contribute to maintenance of law & order in UK as policemen and women. The Sikhs of UK are peace loving and contributing citizens of their adopted country. The Langar Sewa by this community for thousands of people during the pandemic has been widely appreciated, as devoted members of the community have tirelessly worked to provide hot meals for others without worrying about their own safety. This generosity of spirit has been on display in various parts of the world, including India. The image of the brave and hard working Sikh community is tarnished by the unruly behaviour of the few thousand who have been radicalised or have fallen for the motivated propaganda of certain vested interests. During my stay in the UK, I was fortunate to meet a large cross section of the Sikh diaspora across different parts of UK. It, therefore, saddened me to see that through their actions outside the Indian High Commission this weekend, segments of the protesters did grave injustice to the image of this hard working community.
