'Provocative act by separatists, extremists': MEA condemns security breach, attack attempt on Jaishankar in UK

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday condemned the security breach and an attempt by a group of Khalistani extremists to heckle and attack External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar as he was leaving in a car after attending an event at the Chatham House think tank in London.

Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "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 upto their diplomatic obligations."

Pro-Khalistan protestors staged a demonstration outside the venue where S Jaishankar participated in a discussion held by Chatham House.

The protestors had gathered outside the building, holding flags and speakers as they sloganeered.

A video of the incident, shows the man aggressively rushing towards the minister's convoy while officers initially appeared hesitant to act. The protester can be seen tearing the tricolour as others shouted slogans. However, moments later, the police moved in and took him and other extremists away.

Another video surfaced showing Khalistani extremists protesting outside the venue where Jaishankar was participating in a discussion. The footage captures them waving flags and chanting pro-Khalistani slogans.

During his ongoing visit to the United Kingdom, EAM Jaishankar had held discussions with UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and several other senior leaders.

In his meeting with UK's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday, Jaishankar noted that the two leaders held discussions on areas such as flow of talent and joint efforts between India and the UK to tackle "trafficking and extremism".

Earlier in January, a group of pro-Khalistan extremists had gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London to stage a protest.

Notably, in 2023, the Indian High Commission in London faced a violent attack by Khalistani supporters who were attempting to further the cause of Khalistan, advocating for the secession of the state of Punjab from India, as alleged by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Also read: Khalistani extremists block car, try to heckle Jaishankar in London, tear Indian flag (WATCH)