Scotland: Security of overseas diplomats of utmost significance, UK minister says, after India takes up ‘disgraceful incident’

LONDON: The UK’s minister for Indo-Pacific has stated that the security and safety of overseas diplomats is of utmost significance, her remark coming after extremists prevented Indian excessive commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswamifrom getting into a gurdwara in Glasgow on Friday.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan posted on X that she was “involved to see that the Indian excessive commissioner was stopped from assembly with the gurdwara committee on the gurdwara in Glasgow”, including, “The security and safety of overseas diplomats is of utmost significance and our locations of worship within the UK should be open to all.”
The Indian excessive fee in London issued a press release that it had reported the “disgraceful incident” outdoors the Glasgow gurdwara when Sikh extremists tried to open the Indian excessive commissioner’s automotive door (a significant safety breach) — stopping him from attending a perform inside — to each the Overseas, Commonwealth& Growth Workplace (FCDO) and to the metropolitan police.
The Indian excessive fee stated it urged the UK authorities to take motion in opposition to the culprits and revealed that it was solely as a result of fast response of one of many organisers of the occasion, who bodily intervened on the automotive door, “{that a} greater incident was prevented”.
The organisers of the occasion included senior group leaders, girls, committee members and a member of the Scottish Parliament.
The diplomatic mission confirmed that three folks — all from outdoors Scotland — “intentionally disrupted” a deliberate interplay organised by the committee of the Glasgow gurdwara in Albert Drive, which was being held for the group, the excessive commissioner and the consul-general of India in Edinburgh, Bijay Selvaraj. “This interplay was to debate group and consular points,” it stated.
“They had been threatened and abused by these parts. In an effort to forestall any altercation, the HC and CG determined to depart the premises shortly upon their arrival,” it stated.
“One of many non-local extremist parts tried to violently power open the HC’s automotive door — a matter that can require appropriate police consideration,” it added. “A number of group organisations, together with the organisers, have formally regretted the incident and have urged the authorities to take motion in opposition to the culprits.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson stated: “We had been referred to as round 1.05 pm on September 29 to a report of a disturbance that occurred within the Albert Drive space of Glasgow. There have been no studies of any accidents and enquiries are ongoing to determine the complete circumstances.”
In a video of the incident, posted on Instagram, one of many extremists goes on a rant in Punjabi after the diplomatic automotive leaves, saying: “Servants of Indian nationalism kill our Singhs in Canada and England. Managements of gurdwaras ought to perceive their duty. In these instances, such ambassadors ought to be banned…”
Doraiswami had been in Scotland assembly with the First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, Indian college students, MSPs, enterprise leaders, Indian college students and the diaspora. Yousaf raised the difficulty of the detention of Scottish Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal with Doraiswami in addition to minority group rights in India. However Doraiswami “burdened that due course of is being given below Indian legal guidelines to Mr Johal, who faces eight severe terror fees”, and gave a “clear message that rights of all communities are assured in India’s pluralist and free democracy”.