On Thursday, the Centre reacted strongly to the security breach during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s UK visit, condemning the ‘provocative activities’. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs called out the exploitation of ‘democratic freedoms’ by a small group of ‘separatists and extremists’.
The breach occurred when a group of Separatist extremists, carrying the Indian national flag and loudspeakers, chanted slogans outside the Chatham House in London where S Jaishankar engaged in discussions. A man ran towards his car and tore the Tricolour in front of police officers when he was leaving the venue as the matter escalated into a security breach.
The statement by the MEA read, “We have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of EAM to the UK. We condemn the provocative activities of this small group of separatists and extremists. We deplore the misuse of democratic freedoms by such elements. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations”.
Videos of the chaos showed Separatist extremists, waving flags and chanting slogans, outside Chatham House. The man, who tore the Tricolour, was also caught in another video running towards Jaishankar’s convoy. The police present at the spot later took the man and other extremists away.
Jaishankar’s UK visit will end on March 9. He also met UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The two leaders spoke on several topics, including political cooperation, education, mobility, people-to-people exchanges and strategic coordination, among others.
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