India summons UK Chargé D’ Affaires after EAM Jaishankar’s security breach in London

Ministry of External Affairs.

In a move to raise the issue of security glitch at highest diplomatic level, New Delhi on Thursday summoned UK Chargé D’ Affaires Christina Scott after EAM Jaishankar's security was breached by pro-Khalistan supporters in London.

The move comes after the UK on Thursday strongly condemned the security breach involving a pro-Khalistan extremist rushing towards External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's convoy, saying such attempts to "intimidate, threaten, or disrupt" public events are "completely unacceptable".

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called on the UK to "live up to their diplomatic obligations" after a man from a small group of protesters chanting pro-Khalistan slogans and waving separatist flags attempted to breach the security perimeter as Jaishankar left the Chatham House think tank in London on Wednesday evening.

The protester was swiftly taken aside by officers of the Metropolitan Police, which said that no arrests had been made. "We strongly condemn the incident that took place outside Chatham House yesterday (Wednesday) during the External Affairs Minister’s visit to the UK,” a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said.

"While the UK upholds the right to peaceful protest, any attempts to intimidate, threaten, or disrupt public events are completely unacceptable. The Metropolitan Police acted swiftly to address the situation, and we remain fully committed to ensuring the security of all our diplomatic visitors, in line with our international obligations,” the spokesperson said.

A Met Police spokesperson added: “As the Minister left the event, a protester ran in front of his stationary car waving a flag. “He was quickly intercepted by officers and moved out of the way. He did not get close to the Minister who was able to leave the area without further incident. There were no arrests.” It follows Jaishankar’s talks with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House over Tuesday and Wednesday, when both leaders covered the “entire gamut of bilateral ties”, including the relaunched Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, regional and global issues.