After barricades removed in Delhi, UK promises beefed-up security for Indian missions, staff

Tribune News Service

Sandeep Dikshit 

New Delhi, March 23

In an attempt to arrest the downside in ties with India following the easy intrusion of a Khalistani mob into the Indian High Commission in London, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has sought to repair the damage by assuring better security following a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami.

The London Police also kept demonstrators at a safe distance from the Indian High Commission on Wednesday evening unlike on at least three previous occasions, including the latest incident where windows were smashed and the Tricolour sought to be brought down.

In apparent retaliation, Delhi Police removed the "extra" security barricades around the British High Commission while government sources hinted at further action that could include a scrutiny of the working of its British Councils.

Taking the cue from this action and the hint of more in offing, Cleverly issued a statement in which he specifically mentioned the handling of Wednesday's demonstration in front of the High Commission in London. "We will make the changes needed to ensure the safety of its staff as we did for today’s demonstration," he assured.

"We will always take the security of the High Commission extremely seriously, and prevent and robustly respond to incidents such as this," he added. 

In an effort to set ties back on track, Cleverly referred to the ‘India-UK Joint 2030 Roadmap’ that “shows what we can achieve when we work together, creating new markets and jobs for the two countries and helping to tackle shared challenges. We want to build deeper ties between the UK and India for the future”.

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