LONDON (Reuters) – British foreign minister James Cleverly warned against any attacks on the Indian High Commission in London, following media reports about a poster promoting a rally for supporters of a separate state for the Sikh community.
“Any direct attacks on the Indian High Commission in London are completely unacceptable,” Cleverly said on Twitter on Thursday.
“We have made clear to @VDoraiswami (High Commissioner of India to Britain Vikram Doraiswami) and the Government of India that the safety of staff at the High Commission is paramount.”
Indian media reported earlier on Thursday that the poster had been circulating on Twitter to promote a rally on July 8 for “Khalistan,” a name created by supporters of an independent Sikh state which does not exist.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Britain to take action after a violent incident during protests by Sikh separatists outside its embassy in London in March.
Earlier this week, the United States condemned vandalism at the Indian consulate in San Francisco after Indian news agency ANI, a partner of Reutrs, reported that Sikh separatists had tried to set fire to the offices.
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by William Schomberg)
