Radical British Sikh activists confronted Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK and prevented him from entering a gurdwara in Scotland amidst heightened tensions in the India-Canada diplomatic relationship.
Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami was on Friday barred from entering a gurdwara in Scotland, amidst a diplomatic dispute between India and Canada concerning the assassination of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. According to reports, Doraiswami was confronted by a group of radical British Sikh activists who conveyed that he was unwelcome at the gurdwara.
The Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, was obstructed from entering a gurdwara in Scotland by . The incident unfolded outside the Glasgow Gurdwara on Albert Drive, where Doraiswami had a planned meeting with the gurdwara committee. pic.twitter.com/q7syY42wsG
— #जयश्रीराधे 🚩🙏 (@IshaniKrishnaa)The video circulating on social media captures scenes of tables set with white tablecloths in preparation to serve langar to the high commissioner. In the footage, one of the activists engages in a dispute with a member of the gurdwara committee, resulting in an attempt by the committee member to seize the activist's phone, which ultimately fails.
Subsequently, the video shows two activists approaching the high commissioner's car in the parking area, seemingly attempting to open the car door, but it remains locked from the inside. The car then reverses and departs without any intervention from members of the gurdwara committee.
One of the activists, speaking on camera, explained the situation: 'We heard that the Indian ambassador (sic) from London and Edinburgh were going to be here. We got to the gurdwara and had langar and then we came outside because we heard their car had come up. They got to the car park and saw three Sikhs stood there and turned the car around and went. This is exactly how we should greet anyone from the Indian government who comes to the gurdwara in an official capacity under any excuse of doing visa applications, or whatever it might be. We know the games they are playing. We know what has happened in Canada. It is a slap in our faces when the Canadian PM has openly condemned India and expelled Indian diplomats and our people who run our gurdwara committees openly invite them.'
The diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa began after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged on September 18 the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar's June assassination. India vehemently refuted these allegations as "absurd" and "motivated," leading to the expulsion of a senior Canadian diplomat in response to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official connected to the case.
In a separate development, sources revealed that pro-Khalistan elements in Canada have been enticing vulnerable Sikh youth from Punjab by sponsoring their visas, with the aim of utilizing them to advance their agenda on Canadian soil. This scheme involved sponsoring visas for Punjabi youth to secure various positions, such as plumbers or truck drivers, and engage in religious roles within gurdwaras controlled by pro-Khalistan extremists. These individuals were allegedly manipulated to participate in anti-India protests, programs, and radical-religious gatherings in Canada.